Evaluation of a sequential biotrickling–biofiltration unit for removal of VOCs from the headspace of crude oil storage tanks

Abstract

BACKGROUND Petrochemical refineries and production sites are considered to be the second greatest source of VOC emissions after vehicle exhausts. The feasibility and performance of a novel sequential biotrickling‐biofiltration unit for the treatment of a mixture of VOCs in the headspace of an oil and gas production tank battery was evaluated for three months at the Apache TAMU#2 well storage tank battery in Snook, Texas. RESULTS The results demonstrated that the main VOC constituents of the headspace of the storage tanks were alkanes along with smaller amounts of aromatics such as benzene, toluene and xylenes. Monitoring results for the biotreatment unit showed an average removal efficiency of 50–60% at an empty bed residence time of 120 s in each tank of the unit. After inoculation of the system with wastewater from a sedimentation basin of a local refinery, the removal efficiency of the system increased dramatically which demonstrated the importance of inoculation to achieve a rapid and successful start‐up in industrial biofilters. The most optimal performance was achieved after 77 days, obtaining the highest elimination capacity of 23 g m‐3 h‐1 at total VOCs loading rate of 39 g m‐3 h‐1. CONCLUSION The operation of the field‐scale sequential BTF‐BF unit for more than three months demonstrated the robustness of this technology and the degradation capabilities of a combination of the suspended and attached growth treatment. The project results demonstrated the potential for even more optimization for improved effectiveness of this novel biological treatment technology for removal of highly variable aromatic VOC concentrations. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry

Removal of Toluene by Adsorption/Desorption Using Ultra-stable Y Zeolite

“…In recent years, toluene has attracted increasing research attention [4][5][6]. Several techniques have been applied in controlling VOC emissions, including adsorption [7], absorption [8], photocatalysis [9], thermocatalysis [10], plasma catalytic oxidation [11], and biofiltration [12]. Among these methods, adsorption is an effective way to remove VOCs with low concentration and high velocity, because of its high efficiency and low cost [13].…”

Effects of Water Content and Irrigation of Packing Materials on the Performance of Biofilters and Biotrickling Filters: A Review

“…To maintain the activity of the microorganisms in BTFs, the packing material is trickled continuously or intermittently by nutrient solution [47]. The most commonly used circulating liquid is a mineral salt solution [48]. Liquid flow through the packing material of a BTF provides humid conditions needed to support the biofilm growth and maintain the microbial activity [3].…”

“…The nutrient solution is supplied to the unit by a circulation pump. Khoramfar et al [48] studied VOC removal by BTF-BF unit and observed that due to continuous nutrient solution spraying, biofilm growth and consequently VOC removal was relatively higher in the BTF unit than in the BF unit [48]. Trickling liquid also washes out excess biofilm as well as degradation products that can hinder biodegradation of VOC [3].…”

Regulation and impact of VOC and CO2 emissions on low‐carbon energy systems resilient to climate change: A case study on an environmental issue in the oil and gas industry

“…These figures demonstrate the magnitude and scope of the problem. After vehicle exhaust emissions, the oil and gas processing industry's production facilities were identified as the second most significant source of VOC 10 . For example, the inventory of anthropogenic emissions in Russia shows that the oil and gas industries have a significant impact on the environment 11 .…”