Center Enamel Empowers Oil & Gas Sustainability: Glass-Fused-to-Steel MBBR Tank for the Angola Oil and Gas Exploration Wastewater Treatment Project
Created on 10.15
Center Enamel Empowers Oil & Gas Sustainability: Glass-Fused-to-Steel MBBR Tank for the Angola Oil and Gas Exploration Wastewater Treatment Project
As the oil and gas industry pushes into new exploration frontiers, the sustainable treatment of exploration wastewater has become central to responsible resource development. The Angola Oil and Gas Exploration Wastewater Treatment Project, completed in October 2025, sets a new standard for environmentally sound and robust industrial wastewater management. At the heart of this high-profile deployment is a custom-engineered Glass-Fused-to-Steel (GFS) Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) tank—designed, manufactured, and supplied by Shijiazhuang Zhengzhong Technology
Angola ranks among Africa’s most prominent oil-producing countries, with ongoing exploration efforts fueling economic growth and enabling the nation to attract significant foreign investment. Yet, the environmental challenges posed by exploration wastewater—laden with hydrocarbons, heavy metals, drilling additives, and varying levels of salinity—require advanced, reliable treatment strategies. Responsible operators recognize that effective, compliant treatment is not only a regulatory mandate but also a social and environmental imperative.
The Angola Oil and Gas Exploration Wastewater Treatment Project was conceived to provide a safe, scalable, and effective means of managing this complex waste stream. Center Enamel was chosen as the technology partner based on its global track record, technical innovation, and reputation for delivering high-integrity liquid storage and treatment solutions under the world’s toughest conditions.
At the core of the project is a robust tank, purpose-built for use as the biological reactor in a cutting-edge MBBR process:
· Application: Oil & Gas Exploration Wastewater Tank (MBBR Process)
· Project Location: Angola
· Tank Size: 1 MBBR tank, φ6.11 meters diameter × 6.6 meters height
· Delivery: Construction completed and project commissioned in October 2025, now fully operational
This configuration enables the treatment system to efficiently handle fluctuating volumes and shifting contaminant loads typical of oil and gas operations, providing vital operational flexibility and environmental protection.
Glass-Fused-to-Steel tank technology is a hallmark of Center Enamel’s value proposition. By marrying the mechanical strength of steel with the chemical resistance and smoothness of glass, GFS panels offer a suite of inherent advantages that are critical in harsh industrial settings.
Production Process: Special, high-strength steel sheets are shaped and meticulously cleaned before being coated—inside and outside—with raw glass slurry. These panels are then fired in giant kilns at temperatures exceeding 820°C, causing the glass to vitrify and fuse to the steel at the molecular level. The resulting material is durable, non-porous, and entirely impervious to even the most aggressive water and chemical environments.
· Supreme Corrosion Resistance: GFS eliminates issues like rust, pitting, and degradation, outperforming standard epoxy coatings and unprotected steels, especially in environments containing acids, sulfides, hydrocarbons, and dissolved salts.
· Chemical Inertness: The glass surface is highly non-reactive, ensuring that neither hydrocarbons nor trace heavy metals cause breakdown or pose a risk of leaching, thus securing water quality.
· Easy Maintenance: The slick, glassy surface minimizes the buildup of sludge, scales, and biofilms, streamlining cleaning operations and supporting consistent process performance.
· Structural Strength: Panels are engineered to withstand internal and external pressures, environmental loads, and cyclical stresses, guaranteeing the mechanical integrity needed for exploration sites.
· Modular Flexibility: Bolted assembly enables rapid on-site construction, future scalability, and simple relocation if the operational footprint changes—ideal for dynamic exploration environments.
The MBBR tank provided by Center Enamel functions as the biological “heart” of the Angola treatment plant. MBBR technology is recognized worldwide for its versatility and effectiveness in treating high-strength and variable wastes.
How It Works:
· Specially designed biofilm carrier media are suspended within the tank’s liquid phase.
· As the wastewater flows through, a robust community of microorganisms grows on the media, actively breaking down organic contaminants, hydrocarbons, and nutrients.
· Aeration maintains both mixing and oxygen supply, ensuring an aerobic environment for biological treatment.
· The system automatically adapts to fluctuations in loading, needing no complicated return sludge systems and supporting resilience in remote or manpower-constrained installations.
By combining the MBBR process with a vessel engineered for maximum durability and process compatibility, Center Enamel’s solution ensures superior pollutant reduction, minimal operational input, and reliable compliance with Angola’s evolving discharge standards.
From project award through commissioning, Center Enamel delivered integrated support and technical leadership:
Project engineers worked closely with the client’s environmental, operations, and compliance teams to customize a tank configuration optimized for the site’s influent characteristics, treatment goals, and operational realities. Stress analysis, wind and seismic safety calculations, and future upgrade considerations were all integrated into the design, upholding international standards and best practices.
Production took place at Center Enamel’s world-class manufacturing facility. Each GFS panel underwent rigorous visual, dimensional, and coating thickness inspections. The firing process was monitored to guarantee continuous glass coverage and bond strength. Quality checks followed ISO 9001 and relevant sector certifications to underpin reliability.
The modular tank panels, hardware, and prefabricated roof structure were shipped to Angola, where Center Enamel’s installation experts managed site preparation, assembly, pressure testing, and final commissioning. The entire process—from site readiness to operational handover—was completed within schedule, despite challenging logistics.
The successful commissioning of the Angola Oil and Gas Exploration Wastewater Treatment Project delivers results far beyond the boundaries of a single industrial facility.
Key Outcomes:
· Environmental Stewardship: Secure containment ensures that exploration-generated effluents are biologically treated to stringent standards before discharge or reuse, protecting Angola’s groundwater, surface water, and ecosystems.
· Operational Reliability: The GFS MBBR tank’s design and materials guarantee years of leak-free, maintenance-light service, directly supporting exploration schedules and minimizing unplanned shutdowns.
· Resource Efficiency: The biological process reduces overall sludge production, facilitates recovery of some treated water for site reuse, and may reduce overall waste disposal costs.
· Regulatory Compliance: State-of-the-art treatment helps operators meet and exceed both national and international environmental mandates, supporting the viability of ongoing exploration and production.
Center Enamel’s reputation as a global innovations leader is based on an unyielding commitment to product excellence, safety, and total customer support. The company’s tank systems meet or exceed a broad range of standards including ISO9001, CE/EN1090, ISO28765, WRAS, and NSF61. Its engineering rigor is matched only by its flexibility; every solution is tailored, blended with decades of cross-sector expertise, and delivered with a customer-first philosophy.
Key Credentials:
· Over 30 years of industry experience
· Hundreds of engineered projects for water, wastewater, energy, agriculture, chemical, and food industries
· Exports and onsite projects in 100+ countries, including Africa’s most ambitious infrastructure undertakings
Center Enamel’s portfolio of Glass-Fused-to-Steel tank solutions is distinguished by nearly 200 patented innovations, offering clients the assurance of technical leadership and proven performance.
As global industries face climate change, stricter regulation, and sustainability imperatives, the role of advanced infrastructure grows ever more important. Center Enamel continues to refine both material and process technology, responding to new treatment challenges—from unconventional oil and gas to renewable energy and the circular economy.
The successful deployment in Angola is not merely a project milestone—it is a model for how industries can reconcile robust growth with environmental stewardship. By equipping operators with efficient, safe, and expandable tank-based treatment solutions, Center Enamel is helping to build a future where development and duty to the environment advance together.
The Angola Oil and Gas Exploration Wastewater Treatment Project serves as a blueprint for next-generation industrial effluent management. Center Enamel’s GFS MBBR tank solution stands at the intersection of science, engineering, and environmental responsibility—embodying modern best practices for the oil & gas sector and beyond.
Every facet of the project, from initial design and precision manufacturing to seamless assembly and long-term serviceability, mirrors Center Enamel’s symbiosis of innovation and practical reliability. As exploration activities intensify and the world looks toward sustainable resource extraction, Center Enamel’s expertise ensures that critical infrastructure is ready, resilient, and responsible.
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