Wax deoiling technology at Numaligarh Refinery wins international competition

The wax deoiling technology at Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL), developed indigenously by the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) through its constituent laboratory Indian Institute of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun, in association with the Engineers India Ltd (EIL) - has won an international competition, said a CSIR press release on the eve of the national science day today. The wax deoiling plant based on such indigenously developed technology is set up with an investment of Rs 750 crore at NRL - a subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) - situated in north-east part of India.
 
The first batch of paraffin wax has been produced and regular production of paraffin wax is expected to start by the end of first quarter of 2015. This commercialisation of indigenous technology is in line with ‘Make in India’ initiative taken by the Government of India.
 
The wax deoiling technology is used to produce waxes from petroleum streams. This newly set up plant will produce 50,000 MMTPA of high value paraffin wax and 4,500 MTPA of microcrystalline wax that will help cut down the wax import by 50 per cent and will save the foreign exchange of the order of about Rs 500 crore per annum, claims a Ministry of Science & Technology press release.
 
Besides, the production of paraffin and microcrystalline waxes at NRL, it will also help to add new high value wax products in refinery’s product slate and will contribute in enhancing the refinery’s profitability. Paraffin wax is used for making candles, polishes, medicines, food packaging, paints, leather etc, while microcrystalline wax is mainly used in cosmetic industry.
 
This wax plant will help to develop small-scale ancillaries and cottage industries in the nearby areas and will promote industrial development in the north-east region of India. This plant will also generate direct and indirect employment opportunities for local people, thereby improving their quality of life.
 
“Licensing of the technology to NRL and confidence reposed by NRL-BPCL Board in CSIR IIP-EIL-NRL technology has opened up opportunities for providing know-how for any other new unit that may come up in the country or abroad. The CSIR IIP-EIL-NRL wax technology also opens up opportunity for export of this indigenous technology, as a commercial reference of this technology is available now,” added the Ministry press release.