Bilge Water Research Articles

Electrocoagulation Process Application in Bilge Water Treatment Using Response Surface Methodology

Electrocoagulation Process Application in Bilge Water Treatment Using Response Surface Methodology

Electrochemical treatment of bilge wastewater

Bilge water generated on sea ships is a mixture of water and hydrocarbons that must be further separated and treated. In this work, an innovative electrochemical reactor, with parallel plate electrodes, is operated to achieve separation and flotation of oily traces, electroreduction of contained metals and electro-oxidation of dissolved organic matter. All the environmental parameters measured in the study (i.e. colour, turbidity, COD and Pb–Zn concentration) were reduced by the process (average reduction for the 2-h experiences 80, 70, 50 and 40%, respectively). Increasing the imposed current favours all the processes occurring in the cell; however, there exists an optimum in terms of energy consumption for target organic load removal.

OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF CRUDE OIL DETECTED IN SEAWATER

The effects of crude oils entering marine environment have been investigated since early 1960s when oil pollution became a subject of global environmental concern. Extraction and transportation of crude oils have been contributing to water pollution especially in closed water basins, such as the Baltic Sea. It was estimated that yearly oil input to the Baltic Sea amounts to 21-70 thousands of tons, which is twice higher than in the North Sea and three times higher than in the North Atlantic. Growing pollution loads into the Baltic Sea created a demand for multifarious studies on the environmental effects of oil products. In this study, we focus on bio-optical and ecological aspects of the presence of crude oil in seawater. Dispersed oil droplets occur in seawater as the result of contaminated river inflows, bilge water discharges and as the consequence of mechanical and chemical dispersion of oil spills. Their optical properties depend on oil type, concentration and size distribution. We present further results obtained from the developed fluorescence-based method for determination of the crude oil concentration in natural Baltic seawater and for evaluation of the oil droplets size by applying vacuum filtering. The results have been measured for the samples collected in Southern Baltic Sea during several ship cruises in 2012. We discuss the application of vacuum filtering in the fluorescence analyses in the context of laboratory, in situ and remote detection of dispersed oil.

FLUORESCENCE PROPERTIES OF MECHANICALLY DISPERSED CRUDE OIL

Despite of numerous actions undertook by the global and local authorities towards protection of marine environment, oil pollution loads into the Baltic Sea still tend to increase and need to be continuously estimated in order to apply the legal regulations. There is a demand for multifarious studies on the environmental effects of oil products. Dispersed oil droplets occur in seawater as the result of contaminated river inflows, bilge water discharges and as the consequence of mechanical and chemical dispersion of oil spills. Their optical properties depend on oil type, concentration and size distribution. Oil content influences many environmental factors, like water quality and bio-optical parameters (e.g. water-leaving radiance, inherent optical properties, seawater fluorescence). We present a unique study of the collected database of crude oil fluorescence spectra for better understanding the correlations between oil optical properties and its concentration, as well as for evaluation of the oil droplets size by the application of vacuum filtering using three filters of different permeability. Fluorescence spectra have been registered for oil-in-water emulsion samples prepared in the laboratory by mechanical dispersion. We discuss the optical properties of crude oil and the relationships between them in the context of potential remote detection of dispersed oil in seawater.

Application of the Life-Cycle Assessment Method for Pollution Prevention in Klaipėda Sea Port, Lithuania

Dvarionienė, J.; Zobėlaitė-Noreikienė, G.; Kruopiene, J., and Stasiškienė, Z., 2013. Application of the life-cycle assessment method for pollution prevention in Klaipėda sea port, Lithuania.Lithuania is one of the countries that have ratified the Marpol 73/78 Convention, which foresees the tools of reduction and prevention of sea pollution by bilge water and other substances. The Directive of the European Parliament and Council 2000/59/EB is addressed to the reduction of waste onboard ships and its wash overboard. Analysis of the ships entering Klaipėda sea port has estimated that oil waste constitutes about 74% of the whole collected waste amount. Engine bilge water is specific and hazardous to the environment because it is a liquid compound of water and oil products capable of making steady emulsions. It also acquires specific properties during various technological processes. Equipment, technological processes, specificity of the control related to combustibility and flammability, as well as conformity to the requirements of the International and European Union Rights, technological process management, and documents are needed for the management of this specific waste. For this reason, separation of this oily water from the common oil-polluted waste and analysis of these streams of waste treatment are of great importance to enhance the effectiveness of environmental protection during the management process of this oily waste. Applying a system approach to the oily waste in the port, we set up a waste management system algorithm based on the life cycle. The system of port waste management is a set of technological processes, each of them performing a certain function and requiring stock, electric energy, fuel, transport, heat, technological equipment, etc. Having made the environmental assessment, a suggestion was made to convert the waste resulting from the engine bilge water treatment into energy and to use it in a technological process when closing (finishing) the life cycle. In this paper, a life-cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to identify and quantify the environmental impacts caused by the ship-generated waste management, focusing on oily waters of the port of Klaipėda. LCA methodology was used to evaluate the environmental performance of ship-generated waste management of Klaipėda port, according to international standards.

Bilge Water Treatment in an Upflow Electrochemical Reactor using Pt Anode

Bilge water treatment was studied in an upflow electrochemical reactor (UECR) in order to design a compact onboard wastewater treatment system. The influence of retention time on the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and turbidity were analyzed, and optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) for maximizing the removal efficiencies. The best operating performance was obtained at 390 min retention time and 480 min reaction time for cost effective analysis with the composition of 100% bilge water (CODo = 3080 mg/L) and 50/50% seawater/fresh water, 12.8 mA/cm2 current density, and 32°C reaction temperature. Under response surface optimized conditions, the responses were estimated as; 90% COD removal, 97% turbidity removal, outlet pH value of 8.1, mass transfer coefficient of 0.494 × 10−5 m/s, and mean energy consumption of 44.8 kWh/kg COD removed.

Biodegradation of crude oil from saline waste water using white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium

In this research, the effect of salinity on fungal growth and enzyme production ability of Phanerochaete chrysosporium was investigated. The ability of this fungus in the biodegradation of crude oil pollution in saline waste waters like Bilge water was also studied. Brine with salinities of 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40g/l were selected for cultivation of the fungus. The statistical analysis of data were also provided using F-test with significance level of 0.05 to specify whether the results are significant or not significant. The p-values revealed that salinity had not any effect on the fungal growth i.e. there was not a significant difference in fungal growths in different salinities. Also, production of MnP enzyme was not affected up to the salinity of 20g/l, but it decreased in 30 and 40g/l salinities. The effect of salinity on the LiP enzyme activity was more noticeable, and the activity of this enzyme was inhibited completely (100%) in the salinity of 40g/l. Furthermore, the effect of two surfactants, namely NAR-111-2 and Tween80, was investigated on removal efficiency of crude oil by fungus. The results revealed the positive effect of these surfactants on crude oil removal efficiency. Based on the results of this study the P. chrysoisporium is able to degrade crude oil from saline waste water adequately as a result of the appropriate enzymes activity.

Influence of oily wastes on the pyrolysis of scrap tire

The co-pyrolysis of scrap tires with oily wastes from ships (bilge water oil and oily sludge) was studied to investigate the effect of oily wastes on the pyrolysis of scrap tire. Co-pyrolysis experiments were carried out in a fixed bed reactor in the absence and the presence of catalyst at 500°C. The catalysts used in the pyrolysis were a commercial refinery catalyst and an industrial by-product containing iron. The fuel characteristics and chemical compositions of pyrolysis products were characterized by means of chromatographic, spectroscopic and standard ASTM methods. Although, the oily wastes did not affect the product yields from the pyrolysis of scrap tire, they improved the fuel characteristics of scrap tire derived oils. The fuel characteristics of co-pyrolysis oils (except flash point and sulfur content) had similar fuel characteristic with the commercial diesel. It was also found that the amounts of metal impurities in all pyrolytic oils were smaller than 0.3ppm, which was a significantly low amount compared with those in the original oily wastes. Gross calorific values of pyrolysis gases were found to be in the range of 20.4–26.4MJNm−3. It was concluded that co-pyrolysis of scrap tire with oily wastes could be an environmentally friendly way for the conversion of disposable and hazardous wastes such as scrap tires, bilge water oil and oily sludge into fuels.

Design of Simulating Control System on Marine Oily Water Separator

It is important for the marine engineers to master the control principle with the widely application of PLC technology on marine equipment. Basing on the characteristic of marine oily water separator, a simulating control system on marine oily water separator was designed with PLC technology to meet the need of marine engineer training and competence assessment. The system integrates drawing bilge water, separating oil and water, draining off water, draining off oil and alarm of oil content high together. With running reliable and operating simple, it helps marine engineers/ trainees to master the control principle of marine oily water separator.

Treatment of Oily Bilge Water from Small Fishing Vessels by PUF-Immobilized Gordonia sp. JC11

Petroleum hydrocarbons in the bilge water of small fishing vessels are continuously released into the environment. The bilge water samples usually contained low amounts of oil-degrading bacteria; therefore, this study examines application of polyurethane foam (PUF)-immobilized Gordonia sp. JC11, a known lubricant-degrading bacterial inoculum, for the treatment of bilge water. Batch microcosm experiments showed that the PUF-immobilized bacteria were more efficient at removing oil than indigenous microorganisms and were able to remove approximately 40–50 % of the boat lubricant (1,000 mg L−1). The immobilized PUF samples rapidly adsorbed oil from the bilge water inside a small fishing vessel; however, the uninoculated PUF contained more oil than the inoculated PUF at most time points. The hydrocarbon components were also different when comparing inoculated and uninoculated PUF. These results indicate that the oil accumulated inside the PUF containing immobilized bacteria was being degraded by the Gordonia sp. JC11. However, these bacteria gradually die off after repeated oil exposure, and it is suggested that PUF-immobilized cells be replaced at timed intervals. This technique is considered simple and cheap; thus, it could be used to reduce chronic oil pollution from the release of bilge water.

Kinetics of Electrocoagulation of Hexane Extractable Materials in Artificial Bilge Water Treatment

Research on the electrocoagulation (EC) of hexane extractable materials (HEM) has been conducted at the University of New Orleans using a commercial bench-scale EC reactor. A series of EC experiments were performed using a synthetic emulsion with a HEM concentration of approximately 700 mg/L−1. It was confirmed that EC of HEM follows first-order kinetics, and kinetic constants of 0.0441 s−1 and 0.0443 s−1 were obtained from applying both the dispersion and tanks-in-series (TIS) models, respectively. In both cases, R2 was 0.97. Also, the TIS model indicated that each cell of the EC behaves as an independent continuous-stirred tank reactor.

Kinetics of Electrocoagulation of Hexane Extractable Materials in Artificial Bilge Water Treatment

Kinetics of Electrocoagulation of Hexane Extractable Materials in Artificial Bilge Water Treatment

Kinetics of Electrocoagulation of Hexane Extractable Materials in Artificial Bilge Water Treatment

Research on the electrocoagulation (EC) of hexane extractable materials (HEM) has been conducted at the University of New Orleans using a commercial bench-scale EC reactor. A series of EC experiments were performed using a synthetic emulsion with a HEM concentration of approximately 700 mg/L-1. It was confirmed that EC of HEM follows first-order kinetics, and kinetic constants of 0.0441 s-1 and 0.0443 s-1 were obtained from applying both the dispersion and tanks-in-series (TIS) models, respectively. In both cases, R2 was 0.97. Also, the TIS model indicated that each cell of the EC behaves as an independent continuous-stirred tank reactor.

Biological Approaches to the Treatment of Saline Oily Waste(waters) Originated from Marine Transportation

Oily wastewater generated, in amounts of millions of tons per year, by ships mainly in engine-rooms (bilge waters) and by washing oil tanks (slops) create a major disposal problem throughout the world because of the persistence and accumulation of xenobiotic compounds in the environment. The high salinity levels (up to 25.000 p.p.m.) and the pollutants concentration limit the chances of discharge into the sewer systems and address the disposal of these waste(water)s to the sea. Tightening effluent regulations and consequent high energy and management costs has generated interest in the introduction of biological phases in the treatment of these wastewater. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the feasibility of using biological processes with purposely acclimated microorganism for the treatment of high salinity oily wastewaters (slops). Specifically both the bio-regeneration of the exhaust Granular Activated Carbons (GAC), loaded with a mixture of compounds occurring in slops, and a BioFilm Membrane BioReactor (BF-MBR) application were examined. Results proved the feasibility of using salt-adapted micro-organisms capable of degrading the main pollutants contained in slops.

Characterisation of Oil-Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Bilge Water

During an initial screening in samples of bilge water, four bacterial strains capable to oil degrade have been isolated. Two strains, named isolates BW-1 and BW-2, were clustered with Acinetobacter genus (a similarity of 100% and 99%, respectively) and two strains, named isolates BW-3 and BW-4 were related to Rhodococcus genus (a similarity of 99% and 98%, respectively). During growth (8 days) in M9 medium with Arabian Light Crude Oil (1%, w/v), measures of microbial abundance, surface tension, emulsification index (E 24) and oil degradation, were carried out. During cultivation, isolates BW-1 and BW-2 are good biosurfactant producers and about 80% of crude oil is degraded. Also, isolates BW-3 and BW-4 show, during cultivation, production of biosurfactant but only 40% of total oil is degraded. Data obtained give important results in order to utilise these isolate native bilge waste microorganisms in the studies/process of bioremediation.

Thermal degradation of rice husks on a pilot plant

This study is an attempt to establish the possibilities to obtain black rice husk ash (BRHA) and white rice husk ash (WRHA) via pyrolysis of wasted raw rice husks in a pilot plant fluidized-bed reactor at different conditions. The process course auto thermally, without outer fuel. The released heat may be used for steam obtaining or drying. The solid products obtained (BRHA or WRHA) are characterized using X-ray diffraction patterns, thermal analysis, and low temperature nitrogen adsorption. Using batch adsorption technique, the kinetics was studied and the adsorption capacities of crude oil and diesel fuel at different temperatures as well as some hydrocarbons at 298 K onto BRHA and WRHA are determined. It was established that BRHA have been higher adsorption capacity than WRHA. At a given temperature, BRHA sorbed more crude oil than diesel fuel. The results obtained showed that the material studied has high adsorption capacity and low cost and may successfully be used as an effective adsorbent to cleanup of bilge water and spills of oil and oil products in water basins. Because the saturated BRHA with crude oil, diesel fuel or different hydrocarbons are characterized with high calorific, they can be burnt in incinerators, industrial ovens or steam generators. By this way, we attain not only ecological but also economical effect.

Isolation, identification and biodegradation ability of diesel oil degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain C7 from bilge water.

Some highly efficient diesel oil-degrading bacteria were isolated from bilge water. One isolated strain C7 was identified as Pseudomonas sp. based on its 16S rDNA gene sequence as well as various morphological, physiological and phylogenetic characteristics. The biodegradation potential and characteristics of strain C7 in various conditions were analyzed. GC-MS analysis showed that this strain could degrade most components of diesel oil, and the degradation rate was up to 75.9% after ten days incubation at the optimal condition which included a temperature of 30°C, a pH level of 7.0, initial diesel oil concentrations of 3% (v/v) and initial bacteria concentrations of 4 × 107cells/ml. Key word: Bilge water, biodegradation, diesel oil and Pseudomonas sp.

Isolation, identification and biodegradation ability of diesel oil degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain C7 from bilge water

Isolation, identification and biodegradation ability of diesel oil degrading Pseudomonas sp. strain C7 from bilge water

Comparison Between Reverse Osmosis and Membrane Distillation for Bilge Water Treatment

Comparison Between Reverse Osmosis and Membrane Distillation for Bilge Water Treatment

Copyrolysis of scrap tires with oily wastes

In this study, the conversion of hazardous wastes into liquid fuels was investigated. The pyrolysis of bilge water oil and oil sludge from ships, scrap tires and their blends was carried out at 400 and 500°C in absence and presence of catalyst. A commercial fluid catalytic cracking catalyst and Red Mud were used as catalyst. Pyrolysis products were separated as gas, oil and char. The pyrolytic oils were characterized by using gas chromatography-mass selective detector (GC-MSD) and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR). The effect of temperature and catalyst on the product distribution and the composition of oil from pyrolysis were investigated. Co-pyrolysis of scrap tire with oily wastes from ships produced oil that could be used as fuel, while its pyrolysis alone produced oil that could be used as a chemical feedstock. The results obtained in this study showed that co-pyrolysis of oily wastes with scrap tires could be an environmentally friendly way for the transformation of hazardous wastes into valuable products such as chemicals or fuels.