Resource recovery

Recover your wasted value.

Traditional waste management can move liability from one location to another. Nelson designs mobile thermal programs around the material itself: separate the contaminant, destroy or recover it, and preserve the useful fraction wherever the chemistry and project criteria allow. The work runs from Fort McMurray and the oil sands to industrial sites across North America and internationally.

80,000 t

Processed on a verified mill scale program

3,828,163 L

Oil recovered on that same program

30+ years

Hydrocarbon thermal treatment delivery

The route

A practical route from difficult residuals to reusable material.

Isolate

Characterize the feed, contaminant, moisture, and recovery target.

Treat

Select direct fire, indirect thermal, or pyrolysis around the material.

Recover

Return treated solids or captured products to the most useful approved outlet.

What we treat

Nelson turns waste stream problems into permanent strategies.

Nine core streams. Each one is engineered and confirmed against your actual feed before anything is committed.

SAGD drill cuttings

Separate heavy hydrocarbons at the lease or disposal site to reduce long-term residual liability.

Recoverable oils

Separate usable hydrocarbons from sludges, liquid mixtures, and complex industrial matrices.

Mill scale

Recover oil and preserve iron-rich solids for approved return to industrial use.

Fly ash

Process and condition complex ash streams for approved downstream reuse.

End-of-life tires

Use oxygen-free pyrolysis to separate oil, carbon-rich solids, steel, and process gas.

Carbon sludge and catalysts

Concentrate valuable constituents and reduce the volume requiring final management.

Lime sludge

Separate oil, water, and mineral solids through a feed-specific thermal treatment train.

Centrifuge cake

Condition and process dense continuous industrial feeds through a sized mobile system.

Railway ties

Thermally release impregnants and manage recovered carbon and process gas through engineered controls.

Verified project record

What recovery has actually produced.

Eastern Canada mill scale, 80,000 tonnes

Indirect thermal desorption recovered 3,828,163 litres of oil and returned every tonne of iron-bearing material to steel production. Residual oil was held below 0.1 percent. Average throughput was 5 t/hr, with peaks to 15 t/hr.

Read the case study

Alberta wellsite, 19,223 tonnes through spring breakup

A historic wellsite and drilling-waste disposal area treated on site with the compact RS-20 thermal train and afterburner. Recycled used oil was approved as process fuel. The four-month program met Alberta Tier 2 criteria and the material stayed on its own footprint.

See more projects

Mobile systems

Treatment brought to the source.

Four mobile systems sized for industrial work in remote, access-restricted, and operating sites. All four run a primary chamber to 500 C with oxidizer temperatures to 1,100 C. Nominal rates depend on feed moisture, contaminant loading, and project criteria.

System

Class

Nominal

Typical recovery use

RS-945

Large-scale continuous

50 to 70 t/hr

Pipeline-scale and multi-year campaigns

RS-45

High-volume mobile

35 to 50 t/hr

Mixed hydrocarbon and PCB inventories

RS-40

Mid-range mobile

30 to 45 t/hr

Industrial residuals and mid-size campaigns

RS-20

Compact / remote

15 to 25 t/hr

Access-restricted and remote sites

What the project gains

Recovery is a commercial position, not a gesture.

Permanent treatmentReduce the contaminant burden rather than transferring it to another location.

Recovered valueCapture usable oil, ferrous solids, or other approved outputs.

Lower logistics exposureBring treatment to the material and reduce avoidable hauling.

Stronger ESG evidenceDocument diversion, recovered outputs, avoided transport, and material returned to use.

Start the conversation

Tell us what the material is.

Send the stream, an approximate volume, and where it sits. We will come back with the treatment route that fits, what it takes to verify the result, and what a mobile deployment looks like on your site.

Frequently asked

What industrial waste streams can Nelson recover value from?

Nelson works across nine core streams: SAGD drill cuttings, recoverable oils, mill scale, fly ash, end-of-life tires, carbon sludge and catalysts, lime sludge, centrifuge cake, and railway ties. Mill scale is a verified project record. Oil recovery is a proven application. The remainder are available engineered solutions or test-led routes that are confirmed against the actual feed before any commitment is made.

Does the equipment come to the site?

Yes. Nelson's thermal systems are mobile by design. Modular treatment trains move to the material, which reduces avoidable hauling and keeps project control at the source. The fleet operates in remote and access-restricted locations, on active industrial sites, and through severe seasonal conditions.

How much material has Nelson actually recovered?

On an Eastern Canada mill scale program, 80,000 tonnes were processed, 3,828,163 litres of oil were recovered, residual oil was held below 0.1 percent, and 100 percent of ferrous material was returned to steel production. Average throughput was 5 t/hr with peaks to 15 t/hr.

Can this work through an Alberta winter and spring breakup?

A historic Alberta wellsite and drilling-waste disposal area was treated on site with the compact RS-20 thermal train and afterburner. The four-month program treated 19,223 tonnes to Alberta Tier 2 criteria and operated through spring breakup, with recycled used oil approved as process fuel.

Do you serve Fort McMurray and the oil sands region?

Yes. Nelson has delivered thermal remediation and recovery programs in Alberta for decades, and mobile deployment is how the work is done. Projects also run across Canada, the United States, and internationally.

What happens after I send an enquiry?

A Nelson team member reviews the stream, volume, and location and comes back with the treatment route that fits, the verification the regulator will expect, and what a mobile deployment on your site involves.

Circular economy approach

Mill scale case study

Thermal desorption soil remediation

Capabilities