Page 144 - CW E-Magazine (30-1-2024)

Hydrocarbons Hydrocarbons

EXPLORATION COLLABORATION
Oil & gas majors show interest in open acreage Oil India inks MoU for Guwahati’s MSW-to-compressed

licensing programme: Wood Mackenzie biogas initiative

Aiming to enhance domestic pro- will turn into big acreage acquisitions,” opened on January 3 and the last date for Oil India Ltd. (OIL) and Guwahati MSW deposited in open dump- matter from the drum compost and pro-
duction of oil and gas, India is expected WoodMac said in its latest report on the submitting bids is February 28, 2024. Municipal Corporation (GMC) have sites often contains over 50% organic duce vermicompost in just 27 days.”
to conclude the Open Acreage Licen- Asia Pacifi c upstream sector. inked a Memorandum of Understanding material, generating substantial heat The microbial composition of the com-
sing Programme (OALP)-IX bidding Under the OALP-IX bidding round, (MoU) to collaborate on the transforma- due to long-term decomposition. This post was identifi ed with metagenomic
round and open the OALP-X round in Asia Pacifi c’s upstream future is nine onland blocks, eight shallow tion of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) not only poses environmental challeng- analysis. The fi nal product was proven
2024 calendar year, Wood Mackenzie focused on gas. And 2024 will be another water blocks and eleven ultra-deepwater into Compressed Biogas (CBG). es, but also hinders the achievement of to be non-toxic and safe to be used as
(WoodMac) said. year in which operators, regulators and blocks have been offered. sustainable development goals. Com- a nutrient-rich soil conditioner from
governments intensify their pursuit of The MoU was signed by Mr. Bhaskar pared to other waste biodegradation waste (4.2% total nitrogen).
However, the energy research and new sources of gas, it added. WoodMac Deepwater exploration Jyoti Phukan, MD, NRL rep- techniques that require 2-3 months,
consulting major is “sceptical” whether anticipates a rise in exploration activity “Deepwater exploration in India resenting OIL, and Ms. Megha Nidhi Rotary Drum Composting (RDC) can The experimental verifi cation of
the exercise will lead to big acquisi- in South-East and Southern Asia, which is gaining momentum, notably in the Dahal, Commissioner, GMC, in the pre- convert diverse organic feedstocks this combined technique was conducted
tions, even as oil and gas majors evince will be driven primarily by licensing Krishna-Godavari basin where Reliance sence of Dr. Ranjit Rath, CMD, OIL & into nutrient-dense compost within just both in the laboratory and on a large
interest in exploration and production activity and aggressive national oil com- and ONGC are planning to drill multiple Chairman, NRL; Mr. Pankaj Goswami, 20 days and signifi cantly reduce the scale at the Solid Waste Laboratory of
(E&P). pany (NOC)-led drilling programmes. wells in 2024,” WoodMac said. Director (Operations), OIL; and municipal waste volume by 60-70%. IIT Guwahati. A 5,000-litre RDC unit
Mr. Ashok Das, Director (HR), OIL, at However, the limitation of RDC is inferior and a 3,000-litre stack vermicompost-
“In 2024, India will conclude OALP bids ONGC had recently announced the the NRL Corporate Offi ce, Guwahati. compost quality. Vermicomposting is ing unit were established to study the
OALP-IX and kick off its OALP-X The oil minister, Mr. H.S. Puri successful commencement of “fi rst oil” a superior biodegradation process that large-scale effect of the process, with
offering. These two rounds offer large recently launched the OALP-IX bid from the deep-water KG-DWN-98/2 This collaboration signifi es a shared traditionally requires a minimum of 60 the moisture content controlled using
concessions in offshore that were pre- round in which 28 blocks spread over block, situated off the coast of Bay of commitment to environmental conser- days, making the process less adaptable horticulture waste collected on campus.
viously no-go areas for oil and gas ex- eight sedimentary basins with an area Bengal. It is likely to increase the com- vation, effi cient waste management, for urban municipal corporations. Speaking about its application Prof.
ploration. The majors have shown lots of around 1.37-lakh sq. km have been pany’s total oil and gas production by and the generation of clean energy. By Kalamdhad said, “This proven tech-
of interest, but we remain sceptical this offered for bidding. The bid submission 11% and 15%, respectively. leveraging the expertise of both OIL Speaking about the novel technique nique not only handles sizable quan-
GAS SUPPLIES and GMC, this initiative aims to con- Prof. Kalamdhad, said, “We optimised tities of organic waste, but also offers
tribute signifi cantly to the reduction of the RDC technique and combined it immediate application feasibility for
GEECL claims more than Rs. 100-cr from Matix Fertilizers carbon footprint and promote a more with vermicomposting to reduce the municipal corporations, industries,
duration of biodegradation. The earth-
sewage treatment facilities, aquatic
sustainable and eco-friendly future.
over GSPA dispute worms, Eisenia fetida, can acclimatise weeds and various organic waste man-
Two-stage biodegradation technique faster to partially degraded organic agement sectors.”
Natural gas producer, Great Eastern Rs. 148-crore, including interest, from Researchers from the Waste Man-
Energy Corporation Ltd. (GEECL) has Matix. GEECL also claimed that fol- agement Research Group (WMRG) at Alok Sharma takes charge as
claimed more than Rs. 100-crore from lowing arbitration, the company owes Indian Institute of Technology-Guwa-
Matix Fertilisers & Chemicals Ltd., nearly Rs. 112-crore including interest. hati led by Prof. Ajay Kalamdhad have Director (R&D) of IOC
allegedly for not adhering to the terms It subsequently approached a commer- developed a new approach to assist
of the Gas Sale and Purchase Agree- cial court in Rajarhat to execute the the municipal corporations to manage Alok Sharma has taken charge as ties included overseeing refi ning, petro-
ment (GSPA). This may come as a blow arbitration order. organic waste. The novel two-stage the Director of Research & Develop- chemical, and alternative initiatives for
to Matix, which operates West Bengal’s biodegradation technique combines ment at Indian Oil Corporation (IOC). the pan-Indian oil and gas industry. He
only large integrated fertiliser plant at In response, Matix moved the Delhi Rotary Drum Composting with Vermi- Prior to his current role, he served as played a pivotal role in establishing
Panagarh near Durgapur and claims High Court seeking a stay on the order. composting (RDVC), resulting in an the Executive Director at the Centre for India’s fi rst hydrocracker unit at IOC’s
to have a 20% market share in eastern The High Court on January 11 said, “On effi cient and environmentally friendly High Technology under the Ministry of Gujarat Refi nery, as well as the hydro-
India. submission, the award is stayed subject process and enables municipal corpo- Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG). processing lab and resid block at IOC’s
honour the ‘Minimum Guarantee to deposit of the ‘entire award amount’ rations to derive value-added products Mr. Sharma, a postgraduate engineer in R&D Centre. He also led R&D efforts
The coal-bed methane gas producer Offtake’ clause. along with 50 percent of the interest from organic waste. This technique Chemical Engineering from IIT-Delhi in hydrogen, gasifi cation, solar, CO
2
entered into a GSPA with Matix in July within a period of three weeks. The was also used to produce nutrient-rich and a graduate from Gujarat University, capture, and energy storage technolo-
2017, which was valid till August 31, According to the latest accounts money be deposited in fi xed deposit soil conditioner from invasive aquatic brings a wealth of experience to his gies, aligning with IOC’s ambitions in
2018. It claimed that Matix did not notes, GEECL had then claimed receipt.” weeds like the water hyacinth. new position. His previous responsibili- alternative energy.

144 Chemical Weekly January 30, 2024 Chemical Weekly January 30, 2024 145

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