UK clean technology company Envorem has won the Downstream Excellence and Innovation award at the ADIPEC 2026 Technical Excellence Awards, recognising its success in taking a novel oil sludge treatment process from pilot testing to full-scale industrial deployment.
The award was presented to Envorem managing director Mark Batt-Rawden on 4 November at ADIPEC, one of the world's largest energy industry events, which attracts visitors from more than 170 countries.
The accolade recognises the company's achievement in developing and commercialising a water-based technology that recovers valuable oil from sludge while significantly reducing waste volumes.
Envorem's technology has progressed from early pilot projects with Petroleum Development Oman and Saudi Aramco to a fully commissioned industrial plant in Saudi Arabia. During trials at Saudi Aramco's Shaybah facility, the process recovered usable oil and reduced residual waste by 97%, providing the confidence needed to scale up the technology.
"This is a hugely significant achievement for our team," said Batt-Rawden. "We've taken this technology from concept through to industrial-scale operation without industry funding, so receiving recognition alongside some of the biggest names in the energy sector is particularly rewarding. Our Saudi plant demonstrates that the process works at commercial scale and opens the door to wider adoption across the global industry."
The independent judging panel included Dr Bassam Fattouh, Director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Dr Erdal Ozkan, Professor of Petroleum Engineering at Colorado School of Mines, and Susan Howes, President of Subsurface Consultants & Associates and incoming 2027 SPE President.
Envorem's process uses cavitation and hydraulic shock in water to separate oil from sand and sediment, with no chemical additives required. The recovered oil can be returned for refining, while treated solids can often be safely returned to the environment.
With its first industrial-scale installation now operational in Saudi Arabia, Envorem is positioned to replicate the technology globally wherever oily sludge remediation is required.
Envorem wins ADIPEC innovation award for breakthrough oil sludge treatment technology
