Odor-Treatment Technology for Recovered Hydrocarbons From Oily Waste in a Thermal-Desorption Unit

Abstract

tive steps toward reducing their environmental footprints (Permata and McBride 2010) by use of several waste-treatment alternatives, including injection (Mkpaoro et al. 2015; Ntukidem et al. 2002), bioremediation (Ozumba and Benebo 2002), solidification stabilization (Segret et al. 2007), and thermal desorption. Although injection could dispose of the oily waste validly, its main issue is the lifetime of the injection well, which is limited to its application. The limitation of bioremediation is the slow process rate, requiring space and maintenance up to 1 year. With the solidification-stabilization method, there is a risk of potential leaching, and, in addition, the hydrocarbons cannot be recovered, resulting in waste of a useful resource. To maximize hydrocarbon recovery without noticeable impact on the environment, thermal desorption (Agha and Irrechukwu 2002), originating from the early 1990s (Gilpin 2014), is considered the optimal technology for future use (Seaton and Browning 2005) because it is environmentally clean and can be applied to varying levels of contamination (Hahn 1994). More importantly, the hydrocarbons can be recovered, reducing economic cost (Al-Suwaidi et al. 2004; Fang et al. 2007). It is generally found, however, that the recovered hydrocarbons from thermal-desorption technology present a pungent odor, resulting from the presence of sulfur and nitrogen compounds. The odor has not only restricted seriously the reuse of recovered hydrocarbons, but has also threatened the environment. The aim of this paper is to present a TDU with an odor-treatment system for eliminating the pungent odor from recovered hydrocarbons.