The Brazilian company Hydroclean, from the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, headquartered in the city of Nova Lima, in the metropolitan region of state capital Belo Horizonte, is one of the 180 micro and small companies participating in the National Business Roundtable, during the 14th edition of the Rio Oil & Gas.
The meeting represents an opportunity for direct contact with 25 large players in the oil industry. The opportunities are varied and include from feeding services to transportation and products with 100% Brazilian technology. This is the case with Hydroclean, which is going to show Oil Sorb, a product to absorb oil that is turned to the industrial sector.
The result of nine years of studies and research by chemical engineering professor and doctor Jader Martins, Oil Sorb is hydrophobic. That is, it does not get wet and does not absorb water. It is made out of silicate, a raw material with high capacity to absorb oil.
"We are so optimistic with regard to the possibilities at the roundtables that we are forecasting expansion of our production capacity from the current 12 tons to 40 tons in 2009," stated Martins.
According to him, the oil absorber is used in the treatment of leaks ranging from small to large proportions, including those that involve environmental risk.
"Oil leaks are normally related to catastrophic accidents, but all industries cause some kind of oil leak in their daily operations," stated Jader. According to him, oil absorbers should be used routinely by industries in general to avoid the contamination of the soil and underground.
Apart from supplying the domestic demand for the product, Hydroclean is seeking an opportunity for transfer of technology to other countries. "As the absorbent is a little light and spacy (one ton occupies around 10 cubic meters), it would be ideal to establish a partnership to produce it outside the country," he explained. "For this reason we are seeking contacts in Arab and African nations," he said.
The investor's plans also include a new application for household use, in the cleaning of fat that is thrown in the kitchen sink. "One liter of cooking oil contaminates one million liters of water. The use of the absorbent would avoid contamination of groundwater," pointed out Martins.
Another highlight of the roundtables is industrial automation company TS Soluções, from Fortaleza, Ceará, which is going to launch an oil and gas flow calculator using top-end technology. "The use of the equipment is to measure the production of oil and gas throughout the process.
The oil is not pure in the pipes," explained Hilton Marinho, the director at TS Soluções. In the case of exploration of gas, other gasses come out of the pipes too. The computer calculates the level of purity of the gas produced.
The TS Soluções computer uses extra flash memory, which allows for the removal of the data, which may be taken to offices or other sites, where analysis takes place. "Another differential of the product is the possibility of its being connected to networks with different technologies, including wireless technology," explained the businessman.
On the market, there are international and even a Brazilian competitor. "But like our product, with programmable logical controller technology, I believe that there are few in the world," stated Hilton.
The development of the computer took one year and a half of research and work. TS Soluções has been operating for 10 years and has 16 employees. It started supplying the food, sanitation and chemicals industry. The company has been providing services to the oil and gas industry for seven years.
In this edition of the Rio Oil & Gas, the National Business Roundtables should take place in pavilion 3 of the Riocentro, from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Enrolment was through site www.rodada.com.br, in which large companies disclosed the areas in which their demands are and small companies offered their products and services, creating a multisectorial menu.
Once this information was crossed, the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) and the National Organization of the Petroleum Industry (Onip) scheduled the business meetings.
A printed catalogue with the names of the companies registered is distributed to those interested. The material, edited by the Sebrae, is an important tool for promotion and contact, in cases in which the meeting, with average duration of 20 minutes, is not enough for negotiations. There may also be business after the fair.
Rio Oil & Gas 2008, the most important event in the oil and gas industry in Latin America, started Monday, September 15, in Riocentro, and ends Thursday. September 18. At the opening of the event, the minister of Mines and Energy, Edison Lobão, spoke about the recently expanded possibilities in the oil, gas and energy chain that may benefit the country.
Among those present at the opening ceremony were the president of the Brazilian Oil Institute (IBP) and of the Rio Oil & Gas organizing committee, João Carlos de Luca, the secretary of State for Economic Development of Rio de Janeiro, Júlio Bueno, the director of the National Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuel Agency (ANP), Haroldo Lima, the president of Petrobras, José Sergio Gabrielli, the vice president of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), Armando Carvalho, and the director general of the Onip, Eloy Fernandez Y Fernandez.
The number of exhibitors at the Rio Oil & Gas leapt from 800, in 2006, to 1,200 in this edition, pointed out the president of the IBP, which promotes the event every two years. In the external area of the Riocentro, two tents were set up to accommodate more exhibitors.
Service
Rio Oil & Gas 2008
From September 15th to 18th
Site: Riocentro, Rio de Janeiro (RJ)
Sebrae/Onip National Business Roundtables
September 16th and 17th, from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Site: http://www.ibp.org.br/
Anba
