Nynas

The Client’s Need:

Nynas is a specialty chemicals company specialising in the manufacture of naphthenic specialty products and bitumen. The company was founded almost 100 years ago and has played an important role in Sweden’s industrial development. One of the company’s production sites faces the challenge of disposing legacy waste sludge – a mixture of oil, water, and sulfuric acid. This sludge was generated as a by-product of refining processes in the 1950s and 1960s, and is difficult to treat using environmentally friendly solutions.
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Our Pilot:

In May 2024, we launched our one-year pilot with the client to investigate how MycoMine’s innovative approach could potentially solve the facility’s needs. Following tests on the sludge specific to Nynas, we found the main component to be a solid hydrocarbon base mixed with soil. The pH was highly acidic – between 0 and 1, meaning surrounding ecosystems would be at high risk of damage if the sludge were not contained.

The aim of this pilot is to treat between 3–5 tonnes of the acid sludge, adapting our current MycoCube system to treat the solid sludge material.
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Next Steps:

Currently, we are at the beginning of this pilot; however, our first concern around the highly acidic nature of the sludge has been allayed. Highly acidic environments are rarely conducive to efficient growth of organisms, but our fungi appeared to thrive in these low-pH conditions.

We will be carrying out regular analytical testing of our samples through our ALS laboratories to closely monitor and adapt our solution for the best results. Our aim is to reduce the waste sludge through mycoremediation to a mixture of biomass (the fungi), water, and gravel, which can be easily separated — no longer posing a high risk to the surrounding environment.
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Broader Vision:

Acidic sludge is a significant challenge for industrial refining operations around the world, with EPA estimates suggesting that an average refinery in the United States produces approximately 30,000 tonnes of the mixture per year. Due to the high acidity, storage tanks corrode quickly, and current disposal measures are not ideal, often relying on either incineration or encapsulation.

If we can successfully remediate a large portion of the hydrocarbons and contaminants in the sludge using mycoremediation, this could provide a more sustainable solution for industrial sludge treatment worldwide.