Researchers from the Neftegazproekt Research and Development Institute of the Tyumen Industrial University are developing an eco-friendly technology for recycling and processing drilling waste in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area and the Tyumen Region, the project's coordinator, Neftegazproekt Deputy Director General Yaroslav Bogaichuk, told the TASS news agency.

"Neftegazproekt, an institute within the Tyumen Industrial University, is working on a project to develop low-cost solutions for processing drilling solids, especially since developing eco-friendly drilling waste processing solutions has lately become a matter of urgency for oil and gas producers. These solutions are expected to enable producers to drill wells without having to build sludge pits in Eastern Siberia, the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area and the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Area, or in the Tyumen Region," he said.

Researchers are working on man-made soils that would create a soil-like environment in which top soils could be reclaimed.

"We are guided by forward looking approaches in our research and development activity. One of the priorities for the cryogenic resource department is to predict risks in the permafrost zone and develop solutions to prevent possible accidents and the disturbance of the fragile balance in the Arctic's ecosystem," Mr Bogaichuk went on to say.

The cryogenic resource department was established as a separate unit within Neftegazproekt in 2016 to carry out a wide range of high-technology initiatives, including research on thawed, melting and frozen soils, ice, subsoil water, modeling interaction of natural and man-made environments, forecasting natural and geotechnical risks and developing recommendations to reduce the human impact on the environment.