Saudi government invests in recycling of CO2 which has been a major source of pollution to the environment over the years.

Black, viscous and millions of years old, crude oil is never far from controversy. But given its component parts go into everything from lifesaving pacemakers to the toiletries we use every day, it’s a valuable resource that – for now at least – we can’t afford not to use.

Now, a country that’s synonymous with petroleum is driving the shift to transform waste from oil production into even more useful resources in the hope that it can drastically reduce the environmental impact in the process.

Saudi Arabia is home to the second largest crude oil reserves in the world after Venezuela. And in 2020 – the latest data available from the US Energy Information Administration – it was the second largest oil producer, behind only the United States, with an output that equated to just over 11 million barrels a day, although this figure included crude oil, all other petroleum liquids, and biofuels.

Despite its economy being largely dependent on the oil industry, the country has committed to generating 50 per cent of its electricity from natural gas and renewable sources as part of its ambitious Vision 2030 plan. As part of the Saudi Green Initiative, it’s also aiming to reduce carbon emissions by more than 4 per cent of global contributions through multiple initiatives, including the planting of carbon-sinking mangrove forests.

To reduce its carbon footprint further, Saudi Arabia is now investing in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) projects that turn carbon dioxide into useful and saleable products.