Oil Refinery Industry Research Articles

Treatment of oil production wastewater by membrane bioreactor

<p>Wastewater generated in oil production and refinery industries contains high levels of pollutions. Water from the oil production field is the largest source of wastewater in the oil production and refinery industry. It can cause environmental problems on a global scale due to its high volume and pollutant properties. The treatment of produced water and refinery wastewater is traditionally carried out by physical, chemical, and biological treatment processes. In recent years, it has been focused on the use of membrane technologies. In the treatment of oil production wastewater, membrane bioreactors are used as pre-treatment and / or direct treatment methods. In this study, the treatability of wastewater generated in the oil production field by membrane bioreactor was investigated. The system has been operated for 70 days and its efficiency has been evaluated. Treatment parameters such as chemical oxygen demand, total solids, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, Alkalinity, and conductivity were analyzed. In addition, flux and transmembrane pressures were measured. Result, chemical oxygen demand, total solids, total volatile solids, suspended solids, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and sulfate, average removal efficiencies 65%, 65%, 58%, 73%, 70%, 50%, and 57% was obtained, respectively. It has been determined that the system used can be used in petroleum production wastewater treatment.</p>

Alumina catalyst waste utilization for aluminum-based composites using the friction stir process

Abstract A significant amount of environmental pollution is caused by oil refinery industries in the form of spent alumina catalyst (SAC) waste generated during the process. This waste causes various detrimental effects on human health. In this study, an effort has been made to consume the SAC in the fabrication of aluminum-based composite materials via the friction stir process (FSP). An X-ray diffraction image of the SAC powder used in this work confirms the occurrence of Al2O3, Fe2O3, SiO2, and CaO phases. These hard-phase materials form the basis for SAC to be used as reinforcement content with the aluminum alloy. The FSP is used to create the composite material. It is evident from the scanning electron microscopy image of the Al/SAC composite developed by the FSP technique that fair distribution of constituent ingredients is attained during the process. The incorporation of SAC contents in the aluminum alloy results in remarkable enlargement in tensile strength and hardness of the composite material. The Al2O3, Fe2O3, SiO2, and CaO phases of SAC showed a considerable effect on thermal expansion and corrosion weight loss of the composite.

Treatment of Olefin plant spent caustic by combination of Fenton-like and foam fractionation methods in a bench scale.

Spent Merox caustic (SMC) is a hazardous waste that is produced during the Merox desulfurization process in the petroleum refinery industry and should be treated before discharging to environment. In the present study, treatment of SMC was investigated by three methods including Fenton-like process, foam fractionation, and a combination of both processes. Immobilized TiO2/Fe0 on modified silica nanoparticles was used as a heterogeneous Fenton-like catalyst. The chemical and physical characteristics of the catalyst were determined using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and transmission electron microscopy techniques. The treatment performance of the combined method was measured as a cost-effective method with chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal percentage. The effect of parameters including pH, gas flow rate, surfactant type and concentration of hydrogen peroxide, catalyst, and chelate were investigated. It is found that the prepared heterogeneous catalyst has high activity for the treatment of SMC. In addition, the results showed that the combined method achieved 97.6 ± 0.5% COD removal, while the measured values for Fenton or foam fractionation methods alone did not exceed 85.5 ± 1% and 47.2 ± 0.4%, respectively. The advantage of combination process over foam fractionation was the use of an advanced oxidation process in the separating column to eliminate or reduce the secondary phase contamination load. Besides, the role of the column in the effective contact of contaminants with the rising bubbles improved the degradation performance of the proposed process and reduced the consumption of hydrogen peroxide by 46% compared to the Fenton-like method.

β-silicon nitride membrane with robust inorganic-organic hybrid hydrophobic surface for water-in-oil emulsion separation

Robust hydrophobic membranes are promising for effective separation of water-in-oil emulsion, which is becoming extremely critical challenge in many sectors, including oil refinery and petrochemical industries. In this paper, robust hydrophobic ceramic membrane was fabricated and successfully applied for the water-in-oil emulsion separation process. First, porous β-silicon nitride (Si3N4) membranes with unique rod-like grains and three-dimensional network structure were fabricated. The preparation procedure was optimized considering the morphological properties, porosity, permeability and mechanical characteristics. Then, the optimized membrane was converted to a hydrophobic structure with water contact angle of 136.1°. The hydrophobic modification was achieved using organosilane pyrolysis coating method, which resulted in the formation of a robust inorganic-organic hybrid hydrophobic coating layer on the membrane structure. The hydrophobic membrane was employed for the separation of water-in-oil emulsion. At a feed pressure of 1 bar, a permeate flow of 80 L/m2 h with a water rejection of 94.3% was obtained. The presented hydrophobic silicon nitride membrane in this study is promising for a range of water-in-oil emulsion separation applications, particularly in harsh conditions.

Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity of a Novel Peptide (Musterolysin) Extracted from Slurry of Mustard Oil Refinery Industry

Antimicrobial and Anticancer Activity of a Novel Peptide (Musterolysin) Extracted from Slurry of Mustard Oil Refinery Industry

Synthesis and characterization of spent alumina catalyst and grinding sludge reinforced aluminium-based composite material

In this investigation, an attempt has been made to use the waste material in the fabrication of aluminium-based composite material. Waste spent alumina catalyst (SAC) generated from oil refinery industries has been considered as primary reinforcement particle. Waste grinding sludge (GS) produced from iron forging industry was used as secondary reinforcement material in the preparation of composite. Further, chromium (Cr) has been added to SAC and grinding sludge (GS) reinforced aluminium-based composite material to prevent grain growth as well as to control the grain structure of composite material. Experimental results concluded that by adding 4.5% of GS and SAC with 1.5% Cr in aluminium alloy, mechanical properties such as hardness, compressive strength and tensile strength were significantly improved. Hardness compressive strength and tensile strength was increased by 40.06%, 7.24% and 18.86%, respectively, with respect to the aluminium alloy. However, the reduction in toughness was observed. SEM results depicted uniform distribution of SAC and GS particles in Al/4.5% SAC/4.5% GS/1.5% Cr composite. Thermal expansion behaviour and corrosion weight loss of composite have been also investigated to observe the influence of reinforcement in the aluminium alloy.

Photodegradation and kinetics of edible oil refinery wastewater using titanium dioxide

Edible oil refinery wastewater (EORW) is one source of environmental pollution in Nigeria. The treatment of EORW before discharge into the environment remains a significant challenge in the edible oil refinery industries. This research was aimed at photocatalytic treatment of EORW using a batch photocatalytic reactor with titanium dioxide photocatalyst. We investigated the physicochemical parameters: chemical oxygen demand (COD), biological oxygen demand (BOD5), oil and grease, phenol, chloride (Cl-), total suspended solids, sulfate (SO42-), and phosphate (PO43-) using American Public Health Association methods. The results showed that the reduction efficiency of the treated EORW with TiO2 catalyst ranged between 65.8% (PO43-) and 87.0% (COD), and the improvement in efficiency was 54.1% (pH) and 60.8% dissolved oxygen. However, the results showed no significant difference (p<0.05) in the control treatment without catalyst. The biodegradability of EORW increased from 0.196 to 0.32. It was observed that the optimum values were an initial EORW concentration of 100 mL/L, irradiation time of 90min, catalyst dose of 1.25 g/L, and an agitation speed of 900 rpm. The kinetics of the photodegradation process was well described by the pseudo-first-order equation (R2>0.96) and pseudo-second-order equation (R2>0.98). The intra-particle diffusion model fairly represented the diffusion mechanism with an R2 value of 0.806. The treated EORW met the most acceptable water quality standards for discharged effluent according to the maximum permissible limits of the Nigerian National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.Significance: Photocatalytic treatment of EORW gave negligible results in the absence of a photocatalyst. The photocatalytic degradation of EORW improved its biodegradability. Photocatalytic treatment of EORW significantly reduced the pollutants in the wastewater. The pseudo-first-order equation (R2>0.96)

Decarbonising the refinery sector: A socio-technical analysis of advanced biofuels, green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage developments in Sweden

The oil refinery industry is one of the major energy users and responsible for a large proportion of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This sector is facing multiple sustainability-related transformation pressures, forcing the industry to adapt to changing market conditions. The transition to a low-carbon economy will require oil refineries to adopt decarbonisation technologies like advanced biofuels, green hydrogen and carbon capture and storage (CCS). However, the development and implementation of these technologies is not a straightforward process and may be inhibited by lock-in and path dependency. This paper draws on expert interviews and combines the Technological Innovation Systems (TIS) and Multi-level Perspective (MLP) frameworks to examining the niche level development of three emerging technologies in the context of deep decarbonisation of refinery. This research finds that the development of the three decarbonisation technologies shares some of the challenges and opportunities and exhibits technology interdependency to some extent. Among the three TISs, advanced biofuel is the most mature in terms of knowledge base, actor-network, legislation framework and market function. Green hydrogen and CCS encounter stronger momentum than before and can benefit from possible synergies across various sectors. However, the analysis also reveals the lack of market formation, mainly due to the lack of policy instruments for niche markets. Here, policy recommendations for accelerating deep decarbonisation of the oil refinery industry are discussed. Finally, we contribute to the sustainability transitions literature by exploring the dynamics of emerging TISs for industrial decarbonisation.

Legal Protection of the Marine Environment from Oil Refinery Industry Activities in Indonesia (Study on Cilacap and Balikpapan Refinery Industry)

Legal Protection of the Marine Environment from Oil Refinery Industry Activities in Indonesia aims to analyze the form of integration of environmental law principles in oil refining industry activities in Indonesia, the operationalization of the oil refinery industry which has the potential to cause pollution of the marine environment, as well as forms of countermeasures taken against oil spills into the marine environment. The research location is carried out in the oil refinery industry in Indonesia, especially at the PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU V Balikpapan, and PT. Pertamina (Persero) RU IV Cilacap. The research method used is empirical legal research, with a sociological, conceptual, and statutory approach. Empirical data were obtained through interviews and the distribution of questionnaires to selected respondents, while primary legal materials, secondary legal materials, and tertiary legal materials were obtained through literature study. The empirical data and legal materials obtained were analyzed using content and qualitative analysis.Based on the research conducted, the results were found: (i) the integration of environmental law principles in the oil refining industry activities in Indonesia is carried out through licensing mechanisms in the management, processing, transfer, storage, utilization, disposal and/or landfill waste generated by the production process that takes place in the oil refinery industry; (ii) The operation of the oil refinery industry has the potential to cause pollution of the marine environment because the industrial waste produced is dumped into the sea. In addition, the use of the sea as a means of transportation in loading and unloading activities at the jetty (jetty) and Transfer Ship to Ship (TSS) on the high seas can result in spills of crude oil and fuel oil into the sea which has the potential to cause pollution to the marine environment. Likewise, the potential for leaks from undersea pipes used to transport crude oil from the raw material storage terminal to the processing process also has the potential to cause pollution to the marine environment; (iii) handling of oil spills into the sea from oil industry activities is carried out by implementing a management system for dealing with oil spills to the sea contained in the Standard Procedures made by the Company, the substance of which is to implement the provisions contained in the laws, agreements, and Cooperation, as well as international agreements and standards. Keywords: Legal Protection, Marine Environment, Oil Refinery Industry. DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/115-09 Publication date: November 30 th 2021

Recovery of cobalt and molybdenum from consumed catalyst using hydrochloric acid

Cobalt and molybdenum are valuable metals whose presence in nature is very limited. The consumed catalyst, which is abundantly available in the petroleum refinery industry, is a potential source of those metals. A hydrometallurgical process using acid as a leaching agent is usually used to extract and separate the metals more effectively. This method is considered capable of yielding recovery of a higher percentage of metal. In this study, hydrochloric acid solutions at various concentrations of 1.0, 1.5 and 2 M were used. The consumed catalyst was obtained from Pertamina Refinery Unit IV, Cilacap, Indonesia. Leaching experiment was carried out for 300 minutes and sampling was undertaken at 1, 3, 5, 15, 30, 90 and 300 minutes. The particle size and agitation speed were fixed at 200 mesh and 400 rpm. Samples of consumed catalyst were analyzed using EDXRF before the leaching process. Samples of solution were analyzed using ICP-EOS. Experimental results have shown that the recovery of cobalt and molybdenum increases with the increase of either concentration of hydrochloric acid or temperature. The highest recoveries in cobalt and molybdenum were 34.66% and 5.03%, respectively, obtained at a concentration of hydrochloric acid of 2 M and temperature 60°C.

Determination of Pb(II) ion Adsorption Isotherm Model by Regenerated Spent Bleaching Earth (RSBE)

Waste water from several industries such as paint plant, printing, tin smelting, plastic factory, also fuel leaking from ships and ship welding are the main causes of the presence of Pb(II) ions in the water. Lead is a heavy metal that can adversely affects all organisms in the waters and can accumulate in the food chain, it is harmful to human and animal if exposed to it. Adsorption is one of the technologies for separating dissolved metal ions in liquid that easy handling and very effective. The concentration of heavy metal ions in solution can be reduced by using a adsorbent, such as zeolte, activated charcoal, regenerated spent bleaching earth (RSBE). Spent bleaching earth (SBE) is a disposal from edible of the bleaching unit in oil refinery industries, it can be regenerated to a adsorbent RSBE. The treatment SBE into RSBE, oil of SBE is separated by the solvent extraction method at 72°C for 5 hours with n-hexane as a solvent, followed by washing it with HCl 3%, then physically activated at 470°C for 12 hours. The goal of this study are to increase SBE value and reduce the level of Pb(II) ions in solution with RSBE. Several works done in this study, namely characterization of SBE and RSBE, determination of the absorption capacity of RSBE against Pb (II) ions at equilibrium conditions, and an adsorption isotherm model of Pb (II) ion by RSBE. Results, RSBE has a specific surface area of 165.88 m2/g, a total pore volume of 0.21 cc/g with an average pore diameter of 6.90 nm. Based on these values, RSBE is categorized as a mesoporous adsorbent. The adsorption of Pb (II) ion by RSBE reaches equilibrium after 150 minutes contact time.The adsorption Pb (II) ion by RSBE is follows the Langmuir isotherm adsorption model with a correlation coefficient (R2) value of 0.9935 and a maximum adsorbing capacity value of 4.29 mg Pb (II)/g RSBE.

Experimental investigation on properties of concrete mortar incorporating spent bleaching earth waste as supplementary cementitious material

This study presents the experimental investigation on properties of concrete mortar incorporating spent bleaching earth waste. Spent bleaching earth (SBE) is a solid waste from the palm oil refinery industry and is commonly used to remove coloring, metals, dirt, and other unwanted components in the oil. In this study, the purpose of using SBE material in the concrete mortar was as a partial replacement of cement. As natural SBE waste has relatively high oil content, a pre-processing treatment of natural SBE is needed to reduce the oil content of the spent bleaching earth. The pre-processing treatment of SBE was performed by extracting the oil content using acetone liquid. After extracting the oil content, the solid SBE was then used to supplement the cement content in the mortar. The mix design used in the test was based on the ASTM C311. The SBE content used in this research varied from 5% to 20%. The result indicates that the pre-processing treatment can reduce the oil content of the SBE and result in better compressive stress compared to the mortar with non-pre-processing treatment. Furthermore, the addition of 5% SBE as supplementary cementitious materials can enhance the compressive stress of the mortar compared to the normal concrete without SBE.

Investigation of corrosion behaviour of Al 7075 / B4C / Al2O3 hybrid metal matrix composite

This work is carried out in order to develop a metal matrix composite material which has better strength, light in weight and has better corrosion resistance. Different engineering materials are used in different application like food industries, oil refinery industries, Automobiles and aerospace industries. Reduction of corrosion rate in engineering materials will increase the life span of the materials. The corrosion and mechanical behaviour of Al 7075 alloy composites with reinforcement of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and boron carbide (B4C) particle is studied in this work. Having the properties like lightweight and high strength, the application of Al 7075 alloy can be used in the structures of aircrafts, gears and shafts. This alloy can be manufactured by stir casting method which is of very economical than the other methods. By varying the volume fraction of aluminium oxide and boron carbide in the percentage ratios 5%, 10% and 15% the characteristics are studied. The reinforcement particles are distributed in the matrix and the microhardness test is conducted using Vickers hardness tester. The corrosion rate is calculated by Potentiodynamic polarization method with 3.5% wt. of Nacl solution. The corrosion rate of Al 7075 + 15 vol% hybrid composites shows 0.336 mm/year. It is found that, stir casting method is very much suitable to achieve the even distribution of reinforcements in the composite mixture, which led to better micro hardness of the material with better corrosion resistance compare to the base as cast alloy.

Durability of an UHPC containing spent equilibrium catalyst

UHPC is an advanced cementitious material able to meet the current construction industry challenges regarding structural safety and durability. However, new UHPC formulations with limited shrinkage are still being pursued to reduce residual tensile stresses in the UHPFRC layers, for rehabilitation/strengthening applications. This investigation estimates the durability of a non-proprietary UHPC incorporating a by-product originated by the oil refinery industry (ECat), as an internal curing agent. Direct and indirect transport properties measurements as well as the carbonation assessment and evaluation of dimensional resilience to potential deleterious reactions revealed that the new UHPC possesses an excellent durability performance, typical of these materials. These results combined with its self-compacting ability, low autogenous shrinkage and high compressive strength confirm the belief in the role of this new UHPC towards a high-tech construction.

A highly active and stable organic-inorganic combined solid acid for the transesterification of glycerol under mild conditions

Solid acid catalyst plays a crucial role in the petroleum refinery industry and bio-refinery technology. In this work, p-phenolsulfonic acid (PSA) was successfully grafted onto the surface of KH560-modified zirconium phosphate (K-ZrP) in a facile routine. The structure and property of this organic-inorganic combined solid acid PSA/K-ZrP-x were characterized via XRD, FTIR, 13C solid-state NMR, TG, N2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, pyridine-adsorption FTIR and XPS technologies. The characterization results showed that KH560 can bond with ZrP and promote the grafting of PSA on the surface of K-ZrP via the condensation reaction between its epoxy ring and the phenolic hydroxyl group in PSA. Consequently, PSA/K-ZrP-2 exhibited excellent performance and stability in the transesterification between glycerol and methyl acetate among the tested H3PW12O40, Amberlyst-45, HBEA, HZSM-5, ZrP, AlCl3 and FeCl3 catalysts. The calculated conversion of glycerol reached 81.3% with a 97.9% selectivity for monoacetin (MAG) and diacetin (DAG) with a 2.2% dosage of [H+] at 100 °C for 4 h. The highest specific activity of PSA/K-ZrP-2 reached 24028.2 mg-glycerol/g-cat/h in a short reaction time (at 0.17 h), and it could be recycled five times without obvious deactivation.

Oil refinery and water pollution in the context of sustainable development: Developing and developed countries

This paper is an attempt to evaluate the impact of the oil refinery industry on water resources worldwide from the point of view of sustainable development (SD). The local laws, reports from the industry and environmental agencies, conditions of the final disposal system were analysed. Key aspects, such as existing approaches for treatment systems, quality of treated wastewater, and ways to assure the safety of them were compared. The comparison between industrialised (represented by the USA and EU) and developing countries (Kazakhstan used as an example) shows that several obstacles, such as loopholes in legislation, historical contamination, and miscommunicating between stakeholders, exist, despite the formal promotion of the SD concept. That policy should be implemented based on the relevant scientific investigation through the possibility of integrating the respective technological development, an adequate system of environmental impact assessment, and fair operational monitoring.

Sulfur Conversion to Multifunctional Poly(O-thiocarbamate)s through Multicomponent Polymerizations of Sulfur, Diols, and Diisocyanides.

Sulfur, which is generated from the waste byproducts in the oil and gas refinery industry, is an abundant, cheap, stable, and readily available source in the world. However, the utilization of excessive amounts of sulfur is mostly limited, and developing novel methods for sulfur conversion is still a global concern. Here, we report a facile one-step conversion from elemental sulfur to functional poly(O-thiocarbamate)s through a multicomponent polymerization of sulfur, diols, and diisocyanides, which possesses a series of advantages such as mild condition (55 °C), short reaction time (1 h), 100% atom economy, and transition-metal free in the catalyst system. Seven poly(O-thiocarbamate)s are constructed with high yields (up to 95%), large molecular weight (up to 53100 of Mw), good solubility in organic solvents, and completely new polymer structures. The poly(O-thiocarbamate)s possess a high refractive index above 1.7 from 600 to 1700 nm by adjusting the sulfur content. By incorporating tetraphenylethene (TPE) moieties into the polymer structure, the poly(O-thiocarbamate)s can also be designed as fluorescent sensors to detect harmful metal cation of Hg2+ in a turn-on mode with high sensitivity (LOD = 32 nM) and excellent selectivity (over interference cations of Pb2+, Au3+, Ag+). Different from the previous reports, the exact coordination structure is first identified by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, which is revealed in a tetracoordination fashion (two sulfur and two chloride) using a model coordination compound.

Preliminary study of FCC design for palm-based biofuel production through heat balance analysis

Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC] is playing a big role in oil refinery industries and it has been used for producing most of the fuel around the world. FCC has also a great potential for producing biofuel derived from palm-based bio oil. However, it takes a complex calculation to design the overall FCC system. This paper offers the design simplification of FCC through heat balance analysis in two main components, that is riser section and regenerator section. The objective of this study is to estimate the appropriate amount of fuel for a given amount of feed. It is obtained that the required amount of fuel is greater as amount of the given feed increased.

High-performance refractive index sensor for oil derivatives based on MWCNT photonic crystal microcavity

In this paper, we propose a new all-optical sensor based on a two-dimensional (2D) regular array of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) for the refractive index sensing of oil derivatives, for the first time. The interaction of optical wave with the desirable oil derivatives is enhanced using the slow light effect that makes the group velocity go down. We consider the geometric feature for the proposed sensor structure as a photonic crystal (PhC) with a line defect formed by missing some rows of MWCNT elements. The difference of refractive index △n = 0.1418 between Butanol (C4H10O) and Nitrobenzene (C6H5NO2) host materials results in a wavelength shift of 149 nm, and indicates a sensitivity of 1050 nm/RIU, which can be widely used for the bio/chemical detection and environmental monitoring. To achieve the physical stability of the proposed sensor, MWCNTs are considered to be grown in the AAO (Al2O3) template. By removing one or two rows of the MWCNTs and creating a linear defect within the sensor structure, whereas oil derivatives are injected into the defect area. We have achieved a sensitivity up to 870 nm/RIU. This proposed sensor with un-reactive structure of MWCNTs can be used in environments with high temperature and pressure such as oil refinery industry and other chemical processes industries under wide range of different reaction conditions.

Biojet Fuel Production from Waste of Palm Oil Mill Effluent through Enzymatic Hydrolysis and Decarboxylation

Palm oil mill effluent (POME), wastewater discharged from the palm oil refinery industry, is classified as an environmental pollutant. In this work, a heterogeneous catalytic process for biojet fuel or green kerosene production was investigated. The enzymatic hydrolysis of POME was firstly performed in order to obtain hydrolysed POME (HPOME) rich in free fatty acid (FFA) content. The variations of the water content (30 to 50), temperature (30 to 60 °C) and agitation speed (150 to 250 rpm) were evaluated. The optimal condition for the POME hydrolysis reaction was obtained at a 50% v/v water content, 40 °C and 200 rpm. The highest FFA yield (Y FA) of 90% was obtained. Subsequently, FFA in HPOME was converted into hydrocarbon fuels via a hydrocracking reaction catalysed by Pd/Al2O3 at 400 °C, 10 bars H2 for 1 h under a high pressure autoclave reactor (HPAR). The refined-biofuel yield (94%) and the biojet selectivity (57.44%) were achieved. In this study, we are the first group to successfully demonstrate the POME waste valorisation towards renewable biojet fuel production based on biochemical and thermochemical routes. The process can be applied for the sustainable management of POME waste. It promises to be a high value-added product parallel to the alleviation of wastewater environmental issues.