Shell: Zero Liquid Discharge At The World’s Largest Gas-to-Liquid Plant

The Challenge

The Pearl Gas-to-Liquid (GTL) complex in Ras Laffan, Qatar, is the largest plant of its kind in the world. Each day it produces 140,000 barrels of oil equivalent, of which 120,000 barrels are converted into liquefied natural gas and ethane. Shell and its partner, Qatar Petroleum, were looking to operate a model facility that would have zero liquid discharge as part of a closed-loop system.

Veolia's Solution

Creating An Optimal Water Cycle

As part of a joint venture that included Italy’s Saipem and the Qatari firm Al Jaber, Veolia was selected to design and build the effluent treatment facility. The facility uses a biological process, followed by ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis and evaporation/crystallisation, to treat 45,000 cubic meters of water a day. The water is then reused in the plant’s production process; no liquid effluent is discharged into the environment.

Benefits for our client

• “Zero liquid discharge” effluent treatment and recycling
• Strict regulatory compliance
• Smaller environmental footprint
• Greater community acceptance