Industrial Waste Management of Exploratory Maritime Drilling Activity on the Coast of Bahia State: Case Study of BM-J-2 Block

Abstract

Abstract The analysis and comparison of solid waste generation, transportation, treatment and final disposal data, generated during two exploratory offshore drilling campaigns (2011 and 2013) in BM-J-2 Block (Jequitinhonha Basin, Brazil) with and without the use of a temporary waste storage exclusive area for this operation aimed to verify the applicability of these two waste management operational alternatives in regions where the oil and gas exploration and production industry is not yet consolidated. The compliance with Brazilian legal requirements, with the implementation of a Pollution Control Project according to Technical Note CGPEG / DILIC / IBAMA N° 01/11 guideline, allowed the comparision of data generated during the two drilling campaigns, even though they have been generated in different moments. Data generated during the campaigns were critically analyzed and compared using spreadsheets (dynamic tables), elaborated in Microsoft Office (version 2016), considering the need to check the profile of waste generation from both campaigns and to evaluate the effectiveness of two different management strategies implemented. With the waste generation profile analysis for both campaigns, it was concluded that in the 2013 campaign, procedures that allowed qualitative improvements (such as the increase of the best forms of treatment and disposal and of the range of qualified suppliers for management of waste generated by the company's operations) and/or quantitative improvements (such as the decrease in the number of transportation events and the travelled distances) were adopted. Despite the need for continuous improvement, based on the results of this study, we can conclude that the Pollution Control Project during the two f offshore drilling activity campaigns in BM-J-2 Block was effective and implemented according to the Technical Note CGPEG / DILIC / IBAMA N° 01 /11 guideline and the use of temporary storage area, although exclusive and built for the operation, is the best management strategy also in areas where the E&P industry is not yet consolidated. Is important to highlight that for a successful implementation and operation of the storage area, the planning of the whole implementation of the Pollution Control Project needs to be minimally effective, avoiding waste loss and other related issues, fines applied by the environmental licensing agency, disengagement of the operation's workforce and difficulties for licensing future operations.