Environmental Sustainability Study of Refinery Wastewater System Using Pinch Technology

Pinch technique was employed to study the potential of environmental sustainability

in a Nigerian Refinery wastewater system. This was achieved by considering nine major water

using units: cooling tower, ion exchangers, laboratory, SWS Desalter, FCC SWS, caustic

treating, in-house water, fire service and boiler blowdown. In each of the operations, the water

flowrate, and the inlet and outlet contaminants concentration were determined. The Pinch

analysis software plotted the concentration interval diagram for quick determination of the

mass load, cumulative mass load and the pinch point. The water pinched at BOD of 110ppm

with average outlet contaminant concentration of 210ppm. About 50% reduction was observed

for required fresh water flowrate after the water reuse optimization. Wastewater generation

was also reduced by 38% considering reuse technique and 49% for regeneration reuse option.

The final regeneration outlet concentration obtained was found to be 48ppm and within

acceptable environmental standard.

[1] Abubakar, S. (2016). Optimization of Water Reuse Network Using Water Pinch Technology (WPT) by Considering

Single Contaminant for Kaduna Refinery. African Journal of Biotechnology. 5(16), 1483-1487

[2] Al-Shamrani, A.A., James, A., and Xiao, H. (2002). Destabilization of Oil-Water Emulsions and Separation by Dissolved Air Flotation.

Water Research, 36(6), 1503-1512.

[3] Amuda O.S., and Ibrahim A.O. (2006). Industrial Wastewater Treatment Using Natural Material as Adsorbent.

African Journal of Biotechnology. 5(16), 1483-1487.

[4] Andreozzi, R., Caprio, V., Insula, A., and Marotta, R. (1999). Advanced Oxidation  Processes (AOP) for Water Purification

and Recovery. 53(1), 51-59. [5] Bessarabov, D., and Twardowski, Z. (2002). Industrial Application of Nanofiltration -

New Perspectives. Membrane Technology, 6-9. Journal of Environmental Engineering. 128(11), 1018-1029.

[6] Bush, K.E., and Frantz, T. (1976). Refinery Wastewater Treatment and Reuse. 13–15. In citeseerx.ist.psu.edu.

[7] Chao, Y., and Liang T.M.A. (2008). Feasibility Study of Industrial Wastewater Recovery Using Electrodialysis Reversal.

Desalination. 221(1-3), 433-439.

[8] Cheng, W. (2008). Adsorption Characteristics of Granular Activated Carbon and SPME Indication of VOCs Breakthrough.

Aerosol and Air Quality Research. 8(2), 178–87.

[9] Cheryan, M., and Rajagopalan, N. (1998). Membrane Processing of Oily Streams: Wastewater Treatment and Waste Reduction.

Journal of Membrane Science, 151(1), 13- 28.

[10] Couper J.R., Penney W.R., Fair J.R. and Walas, S.M. (2010). Chemical Process Equipment: Selection and Design (2nd Edition).

Elsevier Publishers, London

[11] Edison, M., John, K., Freeman, N., Mansoor, M., and Antoine, F.M-B. (2011). Cu (II) Removal from Synthetic Wastewater by

Ion Exchange Process. Proceedings of the WorldCongress on Engineering and Computer Science, vol. II WCECS, San Francisco, USA

[12] Edomwonyi-Otu, L.C., and Adelakun, D.O. (2018). Effect of Heavy Molecular Weight Polymer on Quality of Drinking Water.

Materials Today Communications. 15, 337–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2018.04.004.

[13] Edomwonyi-Otu, L.C., and Angeli, P. (2015). Pressure Drop and Holdup Predictions in Horizontal Oil-Water Flows for Curved and

Wavy Interfaces. Chemical Engineering Research and Design. 9, 55–65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cherd.2014.06.009.

[14] Edomwonyi-Otu, L.C., and Angeli, P. (2019). Separated Oil-Water Flows with Drag Reducing Polymers. Experimental Thermal and

Fluid Science. 102, 467–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.expthermflusci.2018.12.011.

[15] Edomwonyi-Otu, L.C., Ogabor, S.O., Idowu, O.A., and Bawa, S.G. (2013). Kinetics of Adsorption of Nickel Ion on Kankara Kaolinite.

Leonardo Electronic Journal of Practices and Technologies. 12(22), 1–9.

[16] El-Halwagi, M.M., Gabriel, F. and Harell, D. (2003). Rigorous Graphical Targeting for Resource Conservation via

Material Recycle/Reuse Networks. Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research. 42(19), 4319–4328.

[17] Guerra, K., Dahm, K. and Dundorf, S. (2011). “Oil and Gas Produced Water Management and Beneficial Use in the

Western United States”. Science and Technology Program Report no. 157. US Department of the Interior-Bureau of Reclamation.

[18] International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) (2010). Petroleum Refining Water: Wastewater

Use and Management. 1-200.

[19] Ipsita, S.I. (2010). Wastewater Minimization Using Pinch Analysis. Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) thesis.

Under the Guidance of Prof. S. Khanam. Department of Chemical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkelamay. 2010, 1-55.

[20] Ityokumbul, M.T. (2011). Significance of Kaduna River to Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals Complex: Some Checks and Balances,

Journal of Environmental Engineering. 5(22), 83–98.

[21] Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company (2002). Operational Annual Report.Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company Ltd. Kaduna.

[22] Khezri, S.M., Lotfi, F., Tabibian, S., and Erfani, Z. (2010). Application of Water Pinch Technology for Water and Wastewater

Minimization in Aluminum Anodizing Industries. Scientific Research and Essay. 7(2), 281–290.

[23] Lahnsteiner, J., Andrade, P., and Mittal, R.D. (2012). Recycling of Refinery and Petrochemical Effluents Employing Advanced Multi-Barrier Systems. Water Practice and Technology. 7(4), 12-23.

[24] Linhoff, B. (1994). Use Pinch Analysis to Knock Down Capital Costs and Emissions, Chemical Engineering Progress. 90(1994), 32.

[25] Mohammadnejad, S., Bidhendi, G.R.N., and Mehrdadi, N. (2016). Water Pinch Analysis in oil Refinery Using Regeneration Reuse and Recycling Consideration. Desalination. 265(1-3), 255–265.

[26] Nacheva, P.M. (2011). Water Management in the Petroleum Refining Industry. Mexican Institute of Water Technology, Mexico.

Water Conservation. 105-128.

[27] NESREA (2010). National Environmental Standard and Regulation Enforcement Agency, Nigeria

[28] Peng, S., Farid, M., Ho, I., and Mahdi, K.A. (2008). Water and Wastewater Minimization in Dairy Plants Using Water Pinch Technology.

Journal of Cleaner Production. 3(1), 43 – 50.

[29] Pombo, F., Alessandra M., and Alexandre S. (2009). “Technology Roadmap for Wastewater Reuse in Petroleum Refineries in Brazil”.

Enviromental Management in. Practice, Elzbieta Browniewicz, 65. DOI: 10.5772/20297

[30] Wang Y.P., and Smith, R. (1994). Wastewater Minimization. Chem. Eng. Science. 49(7), 981-100

[31] Zheng, X., Nannan Y., Xiaopeng W., Yuhong W., Linshan W., and Xiaowu, L. (2018). Adsorption Properties of Granular Activated

Carbon-Supported Titanium Dioxide Particles for Dyes and Copper Ions. Scientific Reports. November 2017, 3–11.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-24891-1.