Waste Management in Crude Oil Processing: Crude Oil Dehydration and Desalting

Some of the techniques that are proposed for waste management would include: modifications in process design or in used process equipment; choosing alternative approaches or routes for a given process; and recycling. Such methods are recommended in order to mitigate waste formation. Our main aim in this paper is to examine in details crude oil treatment, which involves dehydration and desalting in order to unearth and seize opportunities for waste minimization. In addition, some problems that would lead to waste formation are identified, and their solutions are recommended. Some factors that are relevant to waste formation are investigated. They include: desalting temperature, wash water ratio (dilution water), and type of de-emulsifiers.