Hazardous Waste Management & Recycling

We manage hazardous and non-hazardous materials and waste from the point where they are generated to their final disposal, in compliance with current environmental legislation and the technical standards that apply to each activity. The service follows a clear policy: recycle, reuse, recover and reduce.

At Tanzaca Energy this service is available for oil and gas operations: fields, stations, plants, camps and operating bases.

What the service covers

• Collection of solid and liquid toxic waste at the point of generation
• Transport in units for hazardous waste
• Temporary storage areas
• Classification, treatment and final disposal of all types of hazardous materials and waste
• Recycling and recovery of materials
• Dismantling, transport and final disposal of asbestos and batteries

1. Collection at the point of generation

   Waste is collected at the client's site, where it is generated.

2. Transport

   It travels in units for hazardous waste to an integral waste management centre.

3. Temporary storage

   On arrival, it is held in temporary storage areas.

4. Classification and treatment

   Waste is classified by the type of material it contains and receives the treatment established for it by the environmental and health authorities, under strict safety and quality conditions, with high-technology equipment and trained personnel.

5. Final disposal

   Each material goes to the final disposal that corresponds to its type.

The reception and storage yards of the management centres are large enough to receive high volumes of waste every day without interrupting ongoing processes or delaying scheduled services.

These are some of the wastes the service handles, always with high safety standards and in line with national regulations and legislation.

Hydrocarbons and oily waste

• Used oil and biphenyls
• Contaminated diesel, tars and greases
• Sludge
• Used oil filters and impregnated filters
• Textiles, rags and gloves impregnated with hydrocarbons
• Soil and pallets contaminated with hydrocarbons

Paints, chemicals and containers

• Paints, varnish, used inks and aerosols
• Chemical sacks, impregnated containers and metal drums
• Acids and bases out of specification
• Used catalysts, tetraethyl lead, and sodium and potassium dichromate
• Mercury and laboratory waste
• Industrial water

Equipment and materials

• Fluorescent lamps and bulbs
• Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) and damaged IT equipment
• Batteries
• Asbestos
• Refrigerant cylinders
• Ferrous material, hardened cement and foundry slag
• Pathological waste
• Products and materials out of specification

Recycling extracts the value that remains in waste. The waste is collected and classified by type of material, so that the raw materials can be reused in new products.

Fluorescent lamps and bulbs

Fluorescent lamps and bulbs that contain mercury are separated into their parts (glass, metal, light tubes and mercury) with special equipment, following a procedure and in a suitable place. The mercury is separated by distillation. Glass, metal and mercury can then be recycled to manufacture new fluorescent lamps. Conventional bulbs are recycled too: their metal and glass are recovered.

Electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

Handling, treatment and final disposal of waste electrical and electronic equipment and of damaged IT equipment.

Recoverable hazardous materials

Recovery of recoverable hazardous materials, such as metal drums.

The service includes the dismantling, transport and final disposal of asbestos and batteries, as well as the processing of the permits required for the final disposal of asbestos waste. Asbestos goes to a security landfill.

Incineration

Incineration is a thermal process that burns waste to reduce its quantity; it is used for solid, liquid and gaseous waste. The service has installed incinerators, and also covers the supply and installation of incinerators, as well as their administration and operation.

Encapsulation and security landfill

A security landfill is a deposit designed to contain substances that are potentially dangerous to human health and the environment, located away from inhabited areas. Properly designed and managed, it is a safe and hygienic way to dispose of hazardous waste such as asbestos, off-specification sulphur and paint flocs, and of used catalysts, tetraethyl lead and sodium and potassium dichromate, which are encapsulated first. The service also covers the design, construction and administration of industrial security landfills.

Neutralization

Acids and bases out of specification are handled, treated and disposed of by neutralization.

Products out of specification

Products and materials out of specification are destroyed by incineration or by encapsulation in the security landfill. Their total destruction is guaranteed and a certificate of final disposal is issued.

• Food products
• Pharmaceutical products
• Chemical products, including those controlled by RESQUIMC

Waste management connects with other Tanzaca Energy services:

Spill control and environmental remediation

Wastewater treatment plants

Major maintenance of storage tanks

Reference standards commonly applied in the sector. They are listed for orientation and do not replace the specification of each project.

Basel Convention

Control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal.

Ley sobre Sustancias, Materiales y Desechos Peligrosos (Venezuela)

Regulates the generation, use, collection, storage, transport, treatment and final disposal of hazardous substances, materials and waste.

Decreto 2.635 (Venezuela)

Rules for the control of the recovery of hazardous materials and the handling of hazardous waste.