The Generation and Management of Wastes and Secondary Materials in the Petroleum Refining Industry: 1987-1988

Abstract

The American Petroleum Institute (API) initiated this survey to chronicle the generation and management of wastes and secondary materials in the petroleum refining industry. Responses to the survey were obtained from refiners representing 80% of domestic refining capacity; this allowed reliable extrapolation of the findings to the entire refining industry. Based on the survey, it was estimated that the entire domestic refining industry generated 16.1 million wet tons of waste and 16.0 million wet tons in 1988. These rates of waste generation represent less than 3% of total crude throughput.