Meet Ben Monkton, our Chief Engineer who believes technology can create a better world for his kids
Envorem’s Chief Engineer, Ben Monkton
Benjamin Monkton is our chief engineer at Envorem, the company’s first official hire who started in November 2020. He has two engineering degrees and has worked for blue-chip companies like Rolls-Royce. He spent 10 years in the oil and gas industry and has a thorough knowledge of how it works and how it can improve.
Now a keen conservationist, Ben is using his engineering skills to perfect the Envorem Sludge & Soil Remediation System with a vision to roll out a fleet of these plants to change the way the oil industry disposes of its bi-products from oil production and, clean up the legacy of oil contaminated soil, sludge lagoons and tailings ponds.
This has led to a passion to win oil conglomerates over to the latest developments in green tech clean-up systems. In fact, he regards “Envorem as the oil and gas industry’s new best friend.” “We can clean these bi-products from oil production faster and cheaper than any other technology and, in some cases the value of the recovered oil can exceed the cost of the process”. Envorem News spoke to Ben about his family, job, the Envorem team and their aspirations for the company’s future.
Envorem News: You have a distinguished career in engineering. What led you to join Mark Batt-Rawden and the team?
Ben Monkton: When the job came up at Envorem, I thought it was an ideal fit for me. I saw it as an opportunity to take the technical skills I’d learned over 17 years and apply them to a new industry that was helping the planet. In my previous job I became concerned about the bi-products and legacy deposits resulting from oil extraction and was impressed by Envorem’s vast potential to help the industry change its practices. It was an ethical choice, along with the excitement of designing something new and bespoke.
Envorem News: So, you’ve been with the company pretty much from the beginning?
Ben Monkton: Yes, I was officially Envorem’s first hire. Mark Batt-Rawden and Mike Levey started the company in 2019, initiating the company’s first trial in Oman. I joined in the company’s first year. In fact, our chief operations engineer, Mike Bennett, and I started on the same day. Mike, looking after the operational side of the business as Chief Operations Engineer and me as Chief Engineer. My challenge was to pick up on the design work done on the Envorem Sludge Remediation System and develop it for large scale operations.
Envorem News: So, what exactly is the Envorem System?
Ben Monkton: Currently oil sludges and highly contaminated soils are either thermally treated or dumped, both of which have a hugely negative environmental impact. Envorem’s water-based cleaning technology can change that. Our system, which is based on cavitation, a naturally occurring phenomena in fluids, can ensure oil production has the least impact on our oceans, land and air, by far. This will be game-changing for the environment once the oil and gas industry starts to wake up to the solution we offer to treat and recycle their new wastes, reducing their costs and, eventually removing the need for sludge lagoons and tailing ponds altogether.
“I hope that somebody, somewhere in the oil industry is going to pick up on what we do and allow us to deploy our system to reduce the risk to wildlife.”
Envorem News: So, you see engineering as a way to find better solutions?
Ben Monkton: Yes, very much so. When I am out in Oman, we see numerous dead birds floating in sludge lagoons which is really sad, especially since this can be prevented. On my last visit I observed two birds flying in the sky one minute and the next they were trapped in the sludge. They obviously couldn’t tell the difference between a patch of ground and a pond of water contaminated by oil. The worst thing was that I couldn’t rescue them. There was no way to get to them.
Watching these birds die, covered in a shroud of black sticky oil, made me feel sick. I also felt useless and angry that this continues to happen, especially since as engineers we have designed a solution to fix this. I hope that somebody, somewhere in the oil industry is going to pick up on what we do and allow us to deploy our system to reduce that risk to wildlife.
At Envorem we understand why these problems exist and don’t stand in judgment of the oil industry. To date, there has been no environmental option for them; dump and pollute the environment or thermally treat and generate millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide. Our technology offers a new way forward. We want to work closely with oil producers and be the best of friends. By working together, we are certain that many opportunities to change current practices and processes can be found, delivering benefits for both the industry and the environment.
See 5 Benefits Of Using Envorem’s Cutting-Edge Oil Remediation Technology.
Envorem News: Can you tell us about what you’ve designed in your working career. With some insights into you educational background, where you are based and your family life…
Ben Monkton: Well I’m a hands on type of guy. So I didn’t think uni was for me so opted for an apprenticeship in mechanical engineering at Severn Trent Water. This led to a job at Enpure, designing water and sewage treatment systems. During this period I completed a Bachelor of Engineering part time from the University of Wolverhampton in 2009.
At that stage I realised I wanted to do more bespoke machinery design so I went to work for Rolls Royce submarines where I was involved in designing the main coolant pump for a nuclear reactor. That certainly broadened my knowledge base! This took me from a process kind of background into mechanical component design which was very exciting. I moved to Calder in Worcester in 2011 where I spent almost 10 years working on projects for oil and gas applications. That involved designing everything from high pressure pumping products to chemical ejection, mud pumping and all kinds of things. This gave me an excellent background for what we are doing at Envorem. While at Calder I was also able to complete my Masters in Mechanical Engineering at Birmingham City University, also part time.
It was during my time of working in oil and gas that I became disillusioned with the industry. As an engineer I realised there were much greener ways to do things, but I wasn’t being given the opportunity to explore these. I would offer suggestions of how we could modify initial specifications to save energy and reduce the carbon footprint, but I was told to “stick with the original specification.” So, I started to think about moving into green energy, tidal power, or solar or wind technology, and when the Envorem opportunity came up, I jumped at it!
“Mark Batt-Rawden is constantly developing exciting new ways we could use the system and the projects we are involved in have really captured my imagination, creating a momentum that drives me along.”
Envorem News: And how have you found working for the company?
Ben Monkton: It’s very easy for engineers to get bored in a short time if the product is established with no scope for change, however at Envorem, there is something exciting to do all the time. The team is highly resourceful, Mark Batt-Rawden is constantly developing exciting new ways we could use the system and the projects we are involved in have really captured my imagination, creating a momentum that drives me along.
Envorem News: And what about your family?
Ben Monkton: My wife and I live in the West Midlands, not far from Birmingham and we have three boys.
Envorem News: That’s a handful! Do you think any of your sons will follow in your engineering footsteps?
Ben Monkton: Well, the eldest is good at maths and sciences; the middle one is quite astute and could go into business; and the youngest, well he is a real live wire! They do enjoy watching me at work with CAD on my computer. My middle son was asking questions about the business challenges we faced particularly working in Oman and offering his input. It showed me how important it is to keep things simple and not overcomplicate what we are doing.
Nowadays I’ll be on the beach with the kids and we’ll be playing with the sand and I find myself examining different ways to pour it. So, my work has become something of an obsession. I’m constantly looking at ways we can do things better or design more effective processes. Hopefully this will inspire my lads in their future careers. It’s also good that they are learning about conservation at an early age. One thing I know is that we at Envorem, we want to create a more sustainable world for the next generation and I am glad to be a part of it.
