Effluent water treatment utilising a combination of hydrodynamic shear and flotation technology for the specific application of wastewater from the oil and gas industry
Abstract
Water plays an important role in the petrochemical production and refining processes. The
wastewaters released by these processes are often rich in petroleum pollutants, that requires
significant treatment prior to disposal. Of particular importance is the processing of oil in water
(o/w) emulsions. The processing and treatment of oil emulsions is focussed on breaking the
emulsion and separation into the aqueous and oil phases for further appropriate disposal. The
general approach is to optimise the processing to achieve relatively clean water, that can be
recycled or discharged into the environment, whereas the oil is disposed of or recycled
appropriately. The use of chemical coagulants and flocculants results in the degradation of the
oil phase forming sludges as well as toxicity issues when using aluminium based coagulants.