Soil Washing for Saudi Arabia: Treating Oil-Contaminated Sandy Soils with Mobile Soil Remediation Equipment
Decades of oil and gas production have left a large environmental footprint across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Pipeline leaks, tank farm seepage, drilling waste and ageing refinery sites have prod
Decades of oil and gas production have left a large environmental footprint across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Pipeline leaks, tank farm seepage, drilling waste and ageing refinery sites have produced millions of cubic metres of petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) contaminated soil. At the same time, Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative are pushing oil majors, industrial cities and property developers to remediate brownfield land before it can be redeveloped. This is why soil washing for Saudi Arabia has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the regional remediation market.
Why Sandy Desert Soils Respond Well to Soil Washing
More than 90 percent of the country is desert, so most contaminated sites consist of fine sand, sandy loam and silty sand. Sandy material has high permeability and a low clay content, which makes TPH contamination easier for a water-based washing process to remove. These characteristics explain why soil washing is considered one of the most practical techniques for oil contaminated soil remediation in the Gulf:
- High contaminant removal of TPH, BTEX and PAHs from the sand fraction
- Significant volume reduction before disposal
- Shorter treatment cycles than in-situ biological methods
- Washing, classification and water recycling combined in one line
Mobile Plants Suit the Saudi Project Model
A single Saudi site can hold anywhere from 100,000 to 1,000,000 m3 of contaminated soil, and deadlines on remediation contracts are usually tight. Fixed infrastructure is expensive and slow to commission. A mobile soil remediation equipment package offers a different route.
Rapid Deployment
Desen's mobile soil washing equipment is containerised and trailer-towed. It can be on site and running within days rather than months, which matters on remote sites where power and water infrastructure are limited.
Reuse Across Multiple Sites
When one project is finished, the same washing train is relocated to the next site. Remediation equipment becomes a reusable asset instead of a one-off capital build.
Scalable Throughput
Modules can operate alone or in parallel to expand capacity from 15 t/h up to 100 t/h, matching the volume of material as a project grows.
Built for Heat, Salt and Dust
Summer temperatures above 50 degrees Celsius, saline process water and blowing sand make Saudi sites demanding. IP65/IP66 electrical cabinets, high-temperature motors, corrosion-resistant steel and dust seals keep the plant running reliably. A closed-loop water treatment unit recycles more than 90 percent of process water, lowering fresh-water demand and keeping discharge within compliance limits.
Proven in the Middle East
Desen has completed oil contaminated soil washing projects across the region, including a roughly 300,000 m3 oil-contaminated sand site treated with a combination of soil washing and bioremediation, and a 100 t/h mobile plant in the United Arab Emirates that recovers crude oil as a by-product while reducing the oil content of the treated sand to below 2000 mg/kg.
Where to Start
For oil contaminated soil remediation in Saudi Arabia, a practical sequence is:
- Confirm particle size distribution and TPH concentration through laboratory analysis
- Remove oversize material with a mobile screening plant
- Select a washing, scrubbing and classification train matched to the required throughput
- Add dewatering and water treatment to close the loop
With the right technology, oil-contaminated sandy soil can be restored and reused on site. Desen Environmental Technology designs and manufactures fixed, mobile and skid-mounted washing plants for the Saudi and wider GCC market, combining on-the-ground project experience with equipment built for desert conditions.
