DOI 10.

1007/s10553-021-01270-7
Chemistry and Technology of Fuels and Oils, Vol. 57, No.3, July, 2021 (Russian Original No.3, May–June, 2021)

ECOLOGY

ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF OIL REFINERIES

E. A. Zaharova✉ and N. A. Lihacheva

Criteria for evaluating environmental performance are analyzed along with mechanisms for selecting environmental indicators. It is
proposed to use the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions as a criterion for determining the ratio between the volume of greenhouse gas
emissions and a company’s activities. The evaluation of environmental performance enables an assessment of environmental risks, the
development of approaches for reducing the human impact on the environment, as well as the design of long-term production development
plans taking into account possible changes in the state of the environment in oil refining regions.
Keywords: environmental performance, oil refining, environmental indicators, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental pollution.

Due to the increase in negative human impacts on the environment as a consequence of the continuing development of
industrial production, conflicts between the economic and environmental demands of production and community constitute an
issue requiring immediate resolution.
The impact of the hydrocarbon processing industry on the environment is currently assessed using various procedures and
criteria that rely on comparative analysis. The choice of procedure typically depends on aims established by a research team and
the area of production whose environmental performance is to be evaluated.
Contemporary procedures for evaluating human impacts from production processes can be conventionally divided into three
groups:
1) methods based on composite indicators requiring further expert evaluation;
2) eco-indicator methods;
3) methods that rely on calculating economic damage caused by human impact on the environment [1].
Unlike international environmental standards, traditional approaches to evaluating human impact on the biosphere do not take
the entire product lifecycle into account, resulting in different evaluations of the impact of production processes on the ecosystem.

Ufa State Petroleum Technological University, Branch of the University in the city of Salavat. Corresponding author:
E. A. Zaharova✉. E-mail: sacharova_08@mail.ru. Translated from Khimiya i Tekhnologiya Topliv i Masel, No. 3,
pp. 49–52, May–June, 2021.
0009-3092/21/5703-0482 © 2021 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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 In recent years, the term environmental performance – referring to results of managing environmental aspects (elements of
activities, products, or services) at an organization [2] – has been widely used to characterize the impact of production processes
on the environment.
When making production decisions that determine the environmental performance or choice of methods and procedures for
collecting and analyzing data on the state of ecosystems affected by a particular production process, it is convenient to use a
single comprehensive criterion for evaluating negative human impacts. Such a criterion can be used at oil and gas companies.
The oil refining industry, which is characterized by high energy intensity and pollution potential, as well as increased explosion
and fire hazard of industrial facilities, represents one of the most environmentally risky industries. Along with the hydrocarbon
products themselves, the chemicals used and produced during oil refining are hazardous both to the environment and humans.
All production activities at oil refineries involve the use of the environment as a source of consumed natural resources, as
well as a natural reservoir for the storage of hydrocarbon feed and the disposal of industrial waste unsuitable for further use at a
particular stage of development.
Thus, the environmental performance evaluation of modern oil refineries is currently relevant in determining future directions
in the development of oil refining processes [3].
When evaluating the environmental performance of a company, environmental indicators are used to compare the current and
past environmental performance of production process against environmental objectives determined when starting and developing
production.
Data obtained during environmental performance evaluation can be used to identify environmental parameters, select the most
significant among them, and define further objectives in the field of environmental performance. This in turn leads to improved
technological process, as well as the identification of trends that lead to an intensification of environmentally hazardous activities.
Thus, the use of data to develop the company’s environmental performance strategy and assess possible risks constitutes an
essential aspect of environmental performance evaluation.
The described system for evaluating environmental performance is based on an Impact-State-Response interaction
pattern. This pattern helps to establish causal relationships between a company’s economic activities, the state of
ecosystems, and the social environment, which can be used to identify solutions to emerging environmental problems.
Indicators belonging to the Impact group comprise a set of all anthropogenic factors of the considered industry that affect
the state of the environment.
State indicators characterize the state of ecosystems, as well as the quantity and quality of used resources.
Response indicators comprise a group of factors characterizing efforts for reducing or eliminating the negative impact of a
company (industry) on the environment, at the same time as preserving natural resources.
The study aims to improve the methodological approach and tools used for evaluating the environmental performance of oil
refining processes.
In [4], paragraph 2.1 refers to procedures and criteria for evaluating the environmental performance of companies, as well
as an environmental rating system capable of providing an objective reflection of the environmental situation in the constituent
entities of the Russian Federation. The specification of principles of relevance, compatibility, compliance, unity, and integration
forms the basis of a set of indicators for evaluating the environmental performance of technological processes.
The initial list under the sections Water Consumption, Air Emissions, and Waste Management [4] is used to select environmental
indicators to characterize oil refining processes.
It is proposed to use the following indicators for the Air Emissions section:
– emissions of air pollutants, t/yr;
– specific air pollutant emissions, thousand t/t.
The state of water resources is assessed according to two main criteria: water consumption from surface water bodies (thousand
m /year) and general water supply (thousand m3/year).
3

The Waste Generation (t/yr) indicator is applied to characterize impacts on the lithosphere.
Thus, a set of indicators for evaluating the environmental performance of oil refining processes is selected (Table 1).

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 Table 1

Type of indicator Indicator

x1.1 – general water supply, thousand m3/year;
x2.1 – water consumption from surface bodies, thousand m3/year;
Impact x3.1 – emissions of air pollutants, t/yr;
x4.1 – waste generation, t/yr;
x5.1 – direct greenhouse gas emissions, million t of CO2-equiv
x6.2 – concentration of air pollutants, mg/m3;
State x7.2 – concentration of pollutants in water bodies, mg/L3;
x8.2 – area of polluted (disturbed) territories, km2
x9.3 – reduction in pollutant discharges, t/yr;
Response x10.3 – units for capturing and mitigating hazardous substances from waste gases, thousand t/yr;
x11.3 – waste utilization, t/year;
x12.3 – portion of reclaimed land in disturbed areas, %

The environmental performance evaluation of oil refining processes performed using open source data on the environmental
impact from the production activities of Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat includes the following stages:
1) systematization of the initial data on the adapted set of environmental indicators reflecting the impact produced by oil
refining processes on the environment;
2) establishment of maximum / minimum threshold values and the normalization of indicators;
3) calculation of composite environmental indices and an integral indicator;
4) discussion of the environmental performance characteristics of production activities carried out by Gazprom Neftekhim
Salavat.
Table 2 presents data about the impact exerted by the production activities of Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat on the environment
by the type of pollution.
The environmental indicators belonging to the Impact group are analyzed using the data presented in Table 1. For example,
the indicator x1.1 (general water supply) indicates positive dynamics (Fig. 1).
The selected indicators x3.1 (emissions of air pollutants) and x4.1 (waste generation) are used to generate graphs covering the
period of the study (Fig. 2).
The environmental indicator x5.1 (direct greenhouse gas emissions) is calculated on the basis of open source data on the amount
of greenhouse gases generated during oil refining. The State group includes the following indicators: the concentration of air
pollutants (x6.2), the concentration of pollutants in water bodies (x7.2), and the area of polluted (disturbed) territoriesterritories
(x8.2). In order to determine the indicator x (concentration of air pollutants), we propose to use the data on atmospheric emissions
6.2
per ton of refined oil. The environmental indicator x7.2 (concentration of pollutants in water bodies) is ascertained using indicators

Table 2

Year
Parameter
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Volume of total air emissions, thousand t 33.16 35.85 33.29 32.84 32.98
Greenhouse gas emissions, million t of CO2-equiv – 4.56 5.75 6.18 6.87
Total volume of water extraction, million m3 39.37 40.23 41.5 40.67 41.27
Volume of water extraction from underground water 1.41 1.42 1.50 1.1 0.65
sources, million m3
Volume of water extraction from surface water sources, 34.31 31.55 32.64 32.4 33.25
million m3
Volume of water extraction from the public water 3.64 3.47 3.50 3.42 3.49
system, million m3
Volume of water extraction from other water supply 0.01 3.79 3.86 3.75 3.88
systems, million m3
Volume of wastewater discharge into surface water 38.34 38.39 39.26 39.38 37.99
sources, million m3
Total volume of waste generation, thousand t 93.71 120.98 74.94 118.64 60.80

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 45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Year

Fig. 1. Volume of water consumption at Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat, million m3/year: — total volume of water extraction; , — volume
of water extraction from surface and underground water sources, respectively; — other water consumption

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Year

Fig. 2. Impact of Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat on the atmosphere and lithosphere, thousand t: — volume of total air emissions; — total
volume of waste generation

reflecting the pollution of surface water bodies. Finally, when determining the indicator x8.2 (area of polluted (disturbed) territories),
the data on the area of land contaminated by oil sludge is employed.
In this study, the 2015 indicators are used as a benchmark for establishing the calculation of composite indices. The composite
indices and the integral index reflecting the environmental performance of hydraulic fracturing are calculated based on previously
selected and determined environmental indicators using an adapted procedure.
The specific index characterizing the dynamics of greenhouse gas emissions is assumed to be equal to the normalized indicator
since only one environmental indicator of the Impact group in the study (x5.1 – direct greenhouse gas emissions) is adopted.
The study of environmental performance (Table 3) implies that Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat has a high impact on the
environment (reduced environmental performance – 3 points). Here, a significant contribution of the following indicators should
be noted: waste generation and pollutant emissions, i.e., the atmosphere and soil receive the maximum impact of the oil refining
activity.
Table 3

Indicator Value of the indicator Performance Points

Composite index for the Impact group 0.55 reduced 3
Composite index for the State group 0.72 adequate 4
Composite index for the Response group 0.79 adequate 4
Specific index for the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions 0.8 adequate 4
Integral indicator 0.72 adequate 4

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 100

80

60

40

20

0
Impact State Response

Fig. 3. Structure of composite indices for environmental performance: — atmosphere; — water bodies; — soils

The composite index for the State group also shows adequate performance, suggesting a significant impact of Gazprom
Neftekhim Salavat’s activities on the quality of the atmosphere and water resources.
The value of the composite index for the Response group (4 points) indicates adequate environmental performance of oil
refining processes in preventing and reducing the destructive impact on the biosphere.
A structural analysis of the composite indices confirms earlier conclusions that the greatest impact of oil refining activities
affects the state of the atmosphere, as well as significantly influencing water and soil resources (Fig. 3).
The specific index for the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions suggests high environmental performance, which may be
explained in terms of increased attention to the problem of global warming.
The integral index (I) allows the whole Impact-State-Response model to be summarized and evaluated. Its value (4 points)
suggests that the environmental performance of oil refining processes at Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat is adequate.

REFERENCES
1. N. I. Nikolaikin, Yu. V. Smirnova, and A. M. Matyagina, Nauch. Vestn. MGTU GA, No.100 (2006).
2. GOST R ISO 14031–2016 Environmental Management. Environmental Performance Evaluation. Guidelines
on Environmental Performance Evaluation [in Russian].
3. E. A. Zakharova, in: Proc. Int. Research and Methodology Conference Dedicated to the 75th Anniversary of the Victory
in the Great Patriotic War: Integration of Science and Education in Oil and Gas Universities [in Russian], Izd-vo
UGNTU, Ufa (2020).
4. UNI EN ISO 14031–2013. Environmental Management. Environmental Performance Evaluation. Guidelines,
International standard.

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