There are 2 main types of industrial scheduled wastes namely solids and liquids. The solid scheduled wastes comprise mainly of spent catalyst from the petrochemical and oleo chemical industries. Whereas liquid scheduled waste generally refer to waste oil, Oil Base Mud (OBM), slop and sludge. QESB provides end to end management services for both types of wastes under licensed by DOE. Catalysts are used in reactors of petrochemical plants and remain effective for up to 15 months, after which degradation occurs and a change-out is required. QESB provides the treatment of the spent catalysts and thereafter are reclassified as non-scheduled wastes. Post-decontamination, they can be safely disposed or recycled and recovered. The latter is mainly for spent catalysts with high metal content. The recycling of PGM and base metal spent catalyst at the end of its useful life is economically viable and environment-friendly. Precious metal catalysts are crucial for many technical syntheses. Their main application in the downstream sector of oil and gas industry are catalytic reforming, isomerization, hydrocracking and hydrogenation processes. The noble metals involved are mainly platinum (Pt) and palladium (Pd), but also other platinum group metals (PGM) such as ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), rhodium (Rh) as well as silver (Ag), either alone or in combination. Often, other metals such as nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), cobalt (Co), lead (Pb) and molybdenum (Mo) are used as promoters.
In Malaysia, under the Environmental Quality Act 2005 (Scheduled Wastes), spent catalyst is considered hazardous materials and falls under the SW202 waste code. Thus, all the movement of the spent catalyst is regulated and its handling has to comply with all the regulation as follows:
• Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 1989.
• Third Schedule (Regulation 10) Labelling requirement for Scheduled wastes. § Fifth Schedule (Regulation 11) Inventory of Scheduled wastes.
• Sixth Schedule (Regulation 12) Consignment Note for Scheduled wastes.
• Seventh Schedule (Regulation 13) Information.
With our IRRC, QESB envisages itself as a one-stop center for environmental solutions. To that end, we provide integrated scheduled waste management services or ISWMS. These include the following:
• Inspection all types of scheduled wastes, wherein we help identify and advise clients on the proper treatment and/or disposal in accordance with legal requirements.
• Packaging and labelling. This includes the supply of bags, new and reconditioned drums, various types of containers and pallets to ensure compliance with statutes and Malaysian government and international standards.
• Logistics and transportation solutions for scheduled waste.
• HSE compliance. Our specialty includes knowledge of types of scheduled waste and their proper handling to ensure that global safety standards are adhered to.
QESB is licensed to process various types of metals. Our CRP is capable of treating:
PGM spent catalysts:
• Platinum
• Silver
• Palladium
• Rhodium
Base Metal Spent Catalyst
• Nickel
• Copper
• Zinc
• Molybdenum
Adsorbent
• Molesieve
• Ceramic ball