A Comparative Review and Multi-criteria Analysis of Petroleum Refinery Wastewater Treatment Technologies

Bassim Abbassi,Taylor Livingstone

doi:10.5755/j01.erem.74.4.21428

Bassim Abbassi, Taylor Livingstone

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.74.4.21428

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Abstract

The global economy’s continued dependence on fossil fuels is associated with a multitude of environmental concerns, including the production of hazardous wastes in petroleum refineries. Large quantities of petroleum refinery wastewater (PRWW) are produced daily, requiring the development of appropriate treatment methods. Activated sludge biological treatment is commonly used to treat PRWW, however this treatment method has a high sludge production, high operational time and may not be optimally suited for the variable loading conditions of refineries. Multi-criteria analysis is a tool capable of evaluating different wastewater treatment technologies through the weighted consideration of multiple environmental and economic factors. The following methods of treating PRWW were reviewed and evaluated using a multi-criteria analysis (MCA): biodegradation, advanced oxidation processes, electrocoagulation and microbial fuel cell technology. The MCA considered the removal efficiencies, sludge production, cost-benefit, process complexity and operational time of each method and was conducted under six different weighting scenarios. Advanced oxidation processes were preferred by this analysis under all six scenarios, with overall index scores (OIS) ranging from 7.84 to 8.51 out of a possible 10 points. Biodegradation of PRWW obtained was found to have the greatest overall removal efficiencies, however the high operational time and sludge production of this method resulted in a maximum OIS of 7.59. Electrical methods, such as electrocoagulation and microbial fuel cell technology required further improvements in removal efficiencies to be considered as a standalone treatment method. Further research into all methods, particularly microbial fuel cell technology is recommended. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.erem.74.4.21428

Highlights

The global economy’s continued reliance on fossil fuels is linked to multiple environmental concerns (Greenshields et al, 1987)
Wastewater produced in petroleum refineries consists of cooling water and the wastewater from these industrial processes, which may contain inorganics, oil, ammonia, sulphides, mercaptans, phenols and hydrocarbons, with the highest contaminant levels found in wastewater from fluid catalytic cracking units, crude desalting units, coking units and condensers (Burks and Wagner, 1983; Greenshields et al, 1987; Li et al, 2015)
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Summary

Introduction

The global economy’s continued reliance on fossil fuels is linked to multiple environmental concerns (Greenshields et al, 1987). Efficiency is inherently a priority in this industrial process, with refineries operating continuously and employing a variety of processes to produce the desired end products. Each constituent may be subjected to a series of processes to maximise value of the finished products, including the conversion of the size or shape of hydrocarbons, solvent extraction of aromatic compounds and pyrolysis cracking to produce synthetic organic compounds (Greenshields et al, 1987). Wastewater produced in petroleum refineries consists of cooling water and the wastewater from these industrial processes, which may contain inorganics, oil, ammonia, sulphides, mercaptans, phenols and hydrocarbons, with the highest contaminant levels found in wastewater from fluid catalytic cracking units, crude desalting units, coking units and condensers (Burks and Wagner, 1983; Greenshields et al, 1987; Li et al, 2015)

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