The sour gas business of Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (Adnoc Sour Gas) has installed a sulphur remelter at its Shah sulphur granulation station to maximise sulphur recovery otherwise lost during regular transportation operations.

Up to 2 tonnes a day of sulphur is lost during the transfer of granulated sulphur from the granulators, via conveyors, to stockpiles or trains for transportation to Adnoc’s sulphur export centre in Ruwais.

Previously, due to sand and rock contaminants, the lost sulphur had to be disposed of offsite, Adnoc said in a statement.

The commissioning of the sulphur remelter unit means Adnoc Sour Gas can recycle the sulphur and add it back into the daily production of granulated sulphur.

Adnoc Sour Gas produces about 3.5 million tonnes a year of sulphur, a by-product of sour gas processing, and accounts for 5 per cent of total global production, making the UAE the world’s largest sulphur exporter.

The Shah plant features four of the largest sulphur recovery units in the world.

Etihad Rail transports approximately 17,000 tonnes a day of sulphur from Adnoc’s Habshan and Shah sour gas fields to Ruwais, from where it is exported to markets around the world for use in fertilisers.

The Shah field and associated processing facilities are operated by Adnoc Sour Gas, a joint venture of Adnoc and the US’ Occidental Petroleum.