Case Study: Oil Recovery Plant – Phoenix Collector, Hamina, Finland
Background
Phoenix Collector is a Finnish company specializing in oil recovery, primarily handling oil-containing waters and waste oils derived from shipping and port activities. Since 1996, the company has been active in marine waste services, focusing on slop oil and sludge collection (MARPOL) and tank farm cleaning.
The facility is located at the Port of Hamina on Finland’s southern coast. Collection and delivery of slop oil are mainly carried out by Phoenix’s own fleet of tankers.
The oil is processed in a thermo-mechanical plant designed in part by its parent company, HEAD Engineering from Sweden. The facility operates three Alfa Laval disc stack centrifuges and one decanter centrifuge, separating water and solids from the oil. The process is combined with Lucent’s Emulsion Treatment 160/161 to optimize recovery. Both Lucent Chemicals and Phoenix Collector belong to the Swedish group HEAD Engineering.
Emulsion Treatment 160/166 ensures effective oil–water separation by:
- Breaking up surfactant- and particle-stabilized emulsions
- Accelerating coalescence of water droplets
- Creating a clean, oil-free water phase
The plant processes around 20,000 m³ of waste oil per year, with an oil content of 25–30 vol-%. Water from the recovery process is collected in a 3,500 m³ tank and treated by centrifugal separation and carbon filtration before discharge.
Problem
Phoenix faced challenges when incoming oil contained high levels of water and solid impurities. This reduced process efficiency, impacted oil quality, and strained the recycling system.
In addition, the Finnish Environment Agency enforces strict wastewater discharge limits, requiring advanced treatment and constant monitoring to remain compliant.
Solution
Phoenix addressed these challenges by implementing a combined thermo-mechanical and chemical treatment system:
- Collection & Processing: Slop oil collected under MARPOL regulations is transported and processed in Hamina.
- Thermo-Mechanical & Chemical Treatment: Centrifuges and Lucent’s Emulsion Treatment work together to maximize recovery efficiency.
- Sustainable Recycling: The recovered oil is refined into REACH-classified burn oil with BS&W below 0.5%.
- Efficient Water Treatment: Extracted water is treated and purified to below 1 ppm oil before being safely discharged into the Baltic Sea.
The facility processes approx. 200 m³ of waste oil per week (48 weeks per year), corresponding to 3 m³/hour, of which around 2.25 m³/hour is water requiring treatment.
Outcome
Phoenix Collector successfully transformed waste oil into valuable industrial fuel while ensuring environmental responsibility. Key results include:
- Environmental Compliance: Safe discharge of treated water.(<1 ppm oil)
- Cost Efficiency: Clients are relieved from managing hazardous waste oils
- Fuel Quality: Burn oil produced with BS&W <0.5%
- Sustainability: 20,000 m³/year of waste oil recovered and recycled.