US Produced Water Treatment Specialists set up new European Base in Aberdeen

Produced Water Absorbents, Inc., (PWA) of Ohio, USA, is cementing its global footprint, choosing Aberdeen to locate its first international entity, PWA Europe Ltd.

The environmental oilfield service provider was incorporated in June 2011 and has its global headquarters in Wooster, Ohio, USA. Its European hub will be located in Buchan House, in the Northfield area of Aberdeen. The company provides revolutionary waste water treatment solutions and services to the oil and gas industry.

The firm has developed a regenerable absorption media used for the treatment of oil and gas waste water streams. This media, called Osorb, removes more than 99% of free, dispersed, emulsified and soluble hydrocarbons and oilfield chemicals from water, in both on and offshore applications. The media has a high affinity for organic compounds and repels water.

The CEO is Neil Poxon, who joined the firm in November 2012, having previously been Managing Director of ITF, the global oil and gas technology facilitator.

Mike Smith will become Managing Director of the new business. Mike has more than 12 years’ experience in the provision of produced water technology, and began his career as an apprentice engineer with Hunting Oilfield Services. He spent several years working overseas, particularly in the Asia Pacific region, where he was a Regional Sales Manager (UK and Asia) with both Merpro Limited and Oliver Valves. Having worked with Mike in previous roles, Neil Poxon asked him to join PWA and lead its European business ambitions.

Mike will be presenting at the forthcoming Produced Water and Environmental Conference which is taking place at the Marriot Hotel in Aberdeen on the 5^th and 6^th of June. He said this is a very exciting time for the company and its technology. “The launch of our European operations in Aberdeen will really push forward our global growth plans and catapult the commercialisation of our unique water treatment capabilities.

“The performance of the media to date, based on the latest trial data, is very positive. The ability of the media to be regenerated and re-used is a massive step change given that the majority of other similar technologies typically move the environmental issue from being a discharge issue to a landfill/disposal issue. These game-changing characteristic; which allow operators to achieve the optimum produced water overboard specifications, as well as reduce the environmental disposal issues, should be of interest and benefit to the majority of operators worldwide.”

Neil Poxon added: “The field trials of our novel Osorb technology have gone extremely well and our expansion in Aberdeen will set us on the path of further success and growth. Having moved from Scotland to Ohio last year, I fully understand that Aberdeen has many opportunities for us to grow and make a difference in the oil and gas industry. I am thoroughly looking forward to the next chapter in our development.”