Gazprom Neft and Total complete construction of facilities for new-generation G-Way Styrelf bitumen production

30 September 2014

Pilot production ofanew generation ofpolymer-modified bitumens (PMBs) under the G-Way Styrelf brand has begun atthe Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery— the first facility inRussia producing bitumens ofthis kind. Mayor ofMoscow Sergei Sobyanin recently made aworking visit tothe plant.

The facility, constructed under ajoint venture between Gazprom Neft and Total, has capacity of60,000 tons ofPMBs and 7,000 tons ofemulsified bitumen per year.

Production isundertaken onthe basis ofTotal’s Styrelf technology— aprocess which involves the addition ofaspecial binding agent (PAXL) which results inadditional bonding atthe molecular level, meaning road surfaces are built with bitumens far more resistant tocracking and fracturing, even under significant traffic loads and under widely ranging temperatures. The useful life ofsuch roads isincreased two-fold incomparison with those surfaced with traditional bitumens. The Styrelf technology was specially adopted tomeet Russian climatic conditions/

Raw materials for G-Way Styrelf PMBs are sourced from the bitumen facility atthe Gazprom Neft Moscow refinery— fully reconstructed in2012, with production ofbitumen materials increasing to1.7 million tonnes per year, and atmospheric emissions decreasing by90percent, asaresult.

The Chairman ofGazprom Neft’s Management Board Alexander Dyukov commented: “Experts expect the use ofPMBs inroad construction inRussia toincrease three-fold by2025. Gazprom Neft— already the leading producer ofhigh-quality bitumen onthe domestic market— isimplementing the most cutting-edge technology toallow not just the construction ofworld-class roads, but also asignificant reduction inthe costs associated with maintaining them.”

Sergey Sobyanin’s visit also saw the unveiling ofbiological treatment facilities project initiated atthe Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery in2014. This new biological treatment system will allow the removal of98ofall contaminating agents from the plant’s wastewater, with 75percent ofwater being returned directly tothe plant’s production cycle, reducing water usage atthe plant by250percent.

sup style="border-top:1px dotted #969696;padding-top:10px;font-style:italic !important; color:#58595B !important;">

REFERENCE

Gazprom Neft isone ofRussia’s leading producers and suppliers ofbitumen products, actively developing this business sector since 2008.

The company’s key production facilities are based inthe Moscow, Omsk, Yaroslavl and Ryazan Oblasts, aswell asinSerbia and Kazakhstan. The company’s refining facilities produce road, construction and roofing bitumens, aswell aspolymer binders and bitumen emulsions.

Gazpromneft-Total PMB LLCis ajoint venture between Gazprom Neft and Total (inwhich both parties hold anequal interest), for the production ofPMBs and emulsified bitumen and their sale onthe Russian domestic market. Production facilities are located within the Gazprom Neft Moscow refinery.

Asubsidiary ofJSC Gazprom Neft, the Moscow Refinery has atotal annual production capacity of12.15 million tonnes per year, producing automotive fuels (gasoline), diesel, marine and aviation fuels, heating oils, high-octane additives for automotive fuels, benzines, bitumens and gases for various applications. The Moscow Refinery has been the centre ofamajor modernisation programme since 2009, total investment inwhich will, by2020, reach more than RUB130billion.

Modernisation ofthe Gazprom Neft Moscow Refinery has included avariety ofmajor projects which have allowed the plant tosignificantly reduce its environmental impact. Construction ofenclosed mechanical treatment facilities has allowed asix-fold reduction inthe emission ofrefining by-products into wastewater. Construction ofasulphur recovery unit will allow hydrogen sulphide emissions tobereduced 70-fold. Acomputer-assisted emissions monitoring system has also been installed atthe Moscow Refinery, allowing the real-time monitoring ofenvironmental compliance aswell asimproving control ofatmospheric conditions atthe plant and insurrounding residential areas.