Two new solutions for the oil and gas industry have been developed and patented in Turkmenistan — a biological method for cleaning soil contaminated with petroleum products and a building material based on gas purification waste. This is reported by the news website Turkmenportal.

The first development is a method for the deep remediation and restoration of soil contaminated with petroleum products. It is based on the isolation and cultivation of specialised strains of local degrading microorganisms capable of breaking down heavy hydrocarbons under conditions of summer heat and soil salinity. The method makes it possible to replace costly and environmentally hazardous chemical reagents when remediating the effects of man-made pollution at oil and gas facilities.

The second development is a patent for a formulation of organo-mineral sulphur-polymer concrete. The material is produced using surplus technical sulphur, which is a by-product of natural gas purification at fields. Sulphur-polymer concrete can be used in hydraulic engineering, in the construction of irrigation canals, brackish water drainage systems and port facilities – wherever conventional cement concrete rapidly deteriorates under the influence of salts. The use of this material reduces the cost of capital construction and addresses the issue of sulphur waste disposal.