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Project Overview: Oil-Contaminated Soil in Abu Dhabi

In the oil fields around Abu Dhabi, decades of crude production have left large areas of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons.

Project Overview: Oil-Contaminated Soil in Abu Dhabi

In the oil fields around Abu Dhabi, decades of crude production have left large areas of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The local environmental authority required the affected soil to be treated to a reusable standard, which created a demanding challenge: high oil content, extreme desert climate and limited on-site infrastructure. This case study describes how a mobile soil washing solution from Desen Environmental delivered reliable remediation performance at 100 tonnes per hour under these conditions.

The project covered approximately 100,000 tonnes of oil-contaminated soil at an active oilfield area. The average oil content of the soil was about 8 percent, which is high compared with typical contaminated sites and demands intensive scrubbing and chemical treatment to meet discharge and reuse limits. Because the site was an operating oilfield, the treatment line also had to coexist with production activities and accept soil delivered from multiple well pads and gathering areas.

Site Challenges

The Abu Dhabi project presented several conditions that are common in Middle East remediation work but rarely found together in one site:

• High oil content averaging about 8 percent, requiring a robust washing and separation process
• Extreme heat and dryness, with summer temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius
• Limited on-site infrastructure, including restricted water supply and power availability
• Strict environmental standards set by UAE regulators for treated soil quality

These conditions ruled out large fixed treatment plants that need long construction times and extensive utilities. The client needed equipment that could be delivered quickly, operated with minimal local infrastructure and moved or expanded as the remediation campaign progressed. Any solution also had to recover water efficiently, because fresh water is a scarce and expensive resource in the region.

The Solution: DS-MSW-100 Mobile Soil Washing Equipment

Desen Environmental supplied the DS-MSW-100 mobile soil washing and remediation plant, a containerized system using a thermo-chemical washing process for oil-contaminated soil. The complete equipment train is integrated into standard shipping containers, which made transport straightforward and allowed the system to enter service within 24 hours of arrival on site.

The mobile plant combines feeding, intensive scrubbing, classification, oil separation and water treatment in one integrated line. Washing agents and controlled temperature conditions help detach petroleum hydrocarbons from sand grains, while the separation stages recover the released oil and the water treatment module recycles process water to minimize consumption in a water-scarce environment. The containerized layout also protects sensitive components from sand and dust, which is essential for reliable operation in desert conditions.

How the Treatment Line Operated

Excavated soil was screened to remove oversize material and then fed into the scrubber, where intensive mechanical action combined with heated wash water and reagents released oil from the sand surface. The resulting slurry passed through classification stages that separated coarse sand from fine material. Recovered oil was skimmed and collected, while the cleaned sand fraction was dewatered and stockpiled for reuse assessment. Process water from the dewatering stages was treated and returned to the washing circuit, keeping fresh water demand low throughout the campaign.

This closed-loop design proved important in the desert environment. By maintaining a high water recycling rate, the plant reduced both water trucking costs and the volume of wastewater requiring external disposal, while keeping treatment quality stable even during the hottest months.

Results and Outcomes

• Stable processing capacity of 100 tonnes per hour throughout the campaign
• Treated soil achieved oil content below 2,000 mg/kg, meeting UAE environmental standards
• Approximately 5,000 tonnes of crude oil recovered during operation
• Continuous and stable operation for more than six months
• Full compliance with the environmental requirements of the local authority

The client reported high satisfaction with both treatment performance and operational stability. The ability to run continuously in extreme heat, with limited water and power, validated the design choices made in the scrubbing, oil recovery and water recycling modules. The recovered crude oil added economic value to the project and demonstrated that remediation can be more than a disposal cost.

Why This Case Matters for Middle East Remediation

The Abu Dhabi project was Desen Environmental's first soil remediation project in the Middle East and has become a reference for oil-contaminated soil remediation in the region. It demonstrates that containerized mobile soil washing equipment can deliver fixed-plant performance without fixed-plant lead times, making it a practical option for oil fields, pipeline corridors and industrial zones across the GCC.

For remediation contractors evaluating soil washing solutions, the key takeaways are:

• Containerized mobile plants reduce mobilization time from months to days
• Integrated water recycling lowers the water footprint in arid regions
• Oil recovery adds value and offsets part of the treatment cost
• Modular capacity allows scaling as project volumes are confirmed

Conclusion

Remediating oil-contaminated soil in the Middle East requires equipment that can withstand heat, operate with limited utilities and still meet strict environmental standards. The Abu Dhabi case study shows that mobile soil washing equipment from Desen Environmental can deliver 100 t/h throughput, recover valuable crude oil and produce treated soil below 2,000 mg/kg TPH. For oilfield operators, EPC contractors and environmental consultants planning similar projects, this project provides a proven reference for mobile soil remediation equipment in extreme conditions.

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