Production Of Synthetic Wastewater In Laboratory Scale

Production Of Synthetic Wastewater In Laboratory Scale

Type	Journal Article
Author	Bradley Pillay
Author	Ian Pillay
URL	Free Full Text Source:  https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amir_Mohammadi7/publication/292145086_Production_of_Synthetic_Wastewater_in_Laboratory_Scale/links/578d67ff08ae5c86c9a659c5.pdf
Volume	49
Pages	77-99
Publication	Advances in Environmental Research
Date	2016
Abstract	Petroleum refineries utilise large quantities of water that has been obtained from various sources. This water would be utilised in refining processes such as desalting , distillation and thermal cracking which are all essential to obtaining final products. During these refining processes, water comes into direct contact with hydrocarbons and is thus contaminated with hazardous components such as hydrocarbons, phenol , metallic compounds and dissolved minerals . Exposure to high concentrations can adversely affect the environment and human health and can lead to mortality . The aim of this study was to devise an experimental procedure and recipe to produce a lit er of synthetic wastewater that would be representative of a petroleum effluent wastewater stream, to identify a representative compound that would be studied in an Airlift reactor water treatment process, to provide reasonable suggestions for scale-up from laboratory to pilot scale and lastly to provide a theoretical review of wastewater treatment in Airlift reactor systems. The synthetic wastewater produced was representative of a phenolic and ammoniacal refiner y wastewater stream (NH 4 Cl, Na 2 HPO 4 .12H 2 O, NaCl , KCl, CaCl 2 .H 2 O, MgSO 4 .7H 2 O, NaHCO 3 , Na 2 CO 3, C 6 H 12 O 6 , and in trace amounts Fe 2 Cl 3 .6H 2 O, MnSO 4 .H 2 O, CuSO 4 , ZnSO 4 for biomass conservation ). The representative compound in this study was phenol as it is harmful to both human and aquatic life . The pH values of the sample ranged between 8.7 and 9.45 and turbidities ranged from 29.2 to 38.8. The concentrations of inorganics (sulphates and phosphates ), metals (Iron, calcium , zinc , magnesium and manganese ) and other wastewater characteristics were close to the industrial norms and well with in the permissible limits. The study revealed that biological treatment methods are commonly used around the world due to their simplistic and cheaper operations but were limited to a low percentage of sludge accumulation within the wastewater stream. While activated carbons are usually used when there would be a need to remove trace amounts of contaminants (due to their costly nature) to adhere to stringent discharge limits but are limited to systems in which wastewater has an acidic nature i.e., a low pH value. The study boasted a near 95% of phenol removal from phenolic wastewaters.