The response to the programme has come in the form of demand for more sustainable solutions encouraged and supported by influential customers shaping the future of the energy industry, Zied Ghazouani of Clariant Oil Services tells OGN

It's been almost one year since Clariant, a specialist in oilfield production chemicals and services, launched its D3 Program as part of its commitment to reducing carbon emissions.

It is Clariant’s sustainability programme that offers a pathway to decarbonise production from the oil wells without causing disruption to the flow or impacting the profitability.

The programme uses nanotechnology and formulations made using environmentally acceptable raw materials to reduce carbon emissions in customers’ operations, Zied Ghazouani, Head of EMEA, Clariant Oil Services, tells OGN energy magazine in an exclusive interview.

The following are excerpts from the interview.

Building on the vast experience Clariant has in the oil and gas industry, what are the key challenges facing the fast-changing sector?

The industry is seeking more efficient processes and feedstocks while hydrocarbons continue to serve as a vital, global energy source.

In collaboration with some of the world’s largest energy companies, Clariant Oil Services is monitoring regulatory changes and taking steps to ensure our solutions have the highest level of adherence to different regulatory requirements globally.

These challenges are leading to the development of more innovative solutions that are reducing carbon emissions.

Last year, Clariant introduced its D3 Program. How is D3 helping customers a year after its introduction?

Clariant's Dubai lab

Clariant’s D3 Program comprises three key pillars: Decarb, which utilises nanotechnology and ingredients from renewable sources to reduce carbon emissions in customers’ operations; Densify, which facilitates logistics improvements and furthers sustainability initiatives through a new application with concentrated products; and Detox, which incorporates formulations with more environmentally acceptable raw materials.

We are already seeing significant benefits of the programme, including simplified logistics for both transportation and storage, introduction of concentrated ingredients that require smaller dosage in the application, optimisation of onshore and offshore operations, introduction of more environmentally acceptable formulations, and improvements in operational safety.

For example, under the densify pillar, Clariant’s more sustainable demulsification process, Phasetreat™ Wet, reduces demulsifier dosages by up to 75 per cent - compared to current solutions - by employing nanoemulsion technology.

The D3 PROGRAM evolved in Latin America. Has it now expanded globally?

Clariant Oil Services introduced its novel D3 Program in late 2022 to help customers reduce carbon emissions and enhance safe operations.

As we continue to track our early successes and mature the programme through the rollout of solutions like Phasetreat Wet, we are demonstrating our commitment to introducing more sustainable solutions and feedstocks in the global markets that Clariant serves.

Although the D3 Program evolved in Latin America, and there are region-specific demands and environmental regulations, Clariant Oil Services is building its capabilities globally where the needs overlap, underscoring the company’s commitment to global responsibility.

How have customers responded to the D3 Program and what results have you seen so far?

Clariant’s progress is made possible by close collaboration with companies taking novel formulations and processes outside of the lab and putting them through rigorous trials under various conditions in offshore and onshore oilfields.

The demand for more sustainable solutions was encouraged and supported by influential customers shaping the future of the energy industry.

We are taking learnings and advances from our customers, as well as other parts of Clariant’s business, and closely tracking carbon emissions that prove the success of our more environment-friendly formulations.

What is the Phasetreat Wet offering and what aspects of traditional oil production processes will it address?

Phasetreat Wet, Clariant’s more sustainable demulsification process, is designed to remove organic solvents like naphtha and toluene and create a more concentrated product that is then diluted with water in the field.

For offshore operators, the solution reduces chemical volume by up to 75 per cent, resulting in reduction in freight, inventory, and offshore movements.

In onshore operations, the solution offers additional benefits, including decreased dosages for demulsifiers, improved water treatment quality, more efficient oil treatment, and reduction of injection points.

One major benefit of removing the solvents is that we reduce carbon emissions and have a direct impact on Scope 3 emissions.

The largest contributor to Scope 3 emissions for a chemical company like Clariant is feedstocks.

We can either use feedstocks with lower emissions (for example, exchanging fossil-based feedstocks with bio-based feedstocks), or in the case of Phasetreat Wet, improve the efficiency of a product.

The product demonstrates Clariant’s commitment to sustainability and how we are working with our customers to understand and address their needs.

What other important additives help advance sustainability?

Beyond evaluating feedstocks to reduce carbon emissions, Clariant Oil Services also uses high-performance paraffin inhibitors and defoamers to enhance operational efficiency, minimise the need for harsh solvents, and prolong the integrity of assets.

What is Clariant’s focus in the oil and gas industry in the coming years in terms of fostering sustainability?

Clariant will continue to evaluate customer product portfolios and introduce eco-friendly and rigorously tested formulations, as we collaborate with energy leaders to reduce carbon emission, ensure safe operations, and achieve ESG targets.

Beyond Phasetreat Wet, Clariant is actively working on other solutions for oil and gas production that can drastically reduce chemical demand and thereby carbon emissions.

A good example of this is the replacement of thermodynamic hydrate inhibitors with low dosage hydrate inhibitors (LDHI). The challenge here is to develop an LDHI, which is compatible with the strict environmental regulations in places like the North Sea.

At Adipec 2023, Clariant is participating in the cross-industry co-lab zone to further emphasise its commitment to fostering collaboration and driving positive change in the energy industry.

Clariant will be at Stand M40 in the Co-Lab Zone, in front of Hall 13, at Adipec.