Chemical Engineering December 2019 - 49

from E.U. refineries
declined
from
3.12 billion to 0.24 billion m³/yr in
2013 [4]. However, the relative, as
well as absolute, quantity of hazardous
waste over the same period increased
to 1.07 ton/kiloton of waste
versus throughput in 2013. For nonhazardous
waste, the average quantity
in the same year is 1.45 ton/kiloton
throughput. The rise in production
of hazardous waste can be explained
by the proliferation of waste-emission-control
facilities, such as threestage
wastewater treatment and the
consequent rise in biological sludge
production; or the increased use of
electrostatic precipitators (ESP) to
remove dust from fluegases; or an
expansion in the tonnage of material
removed during remediation activities
[4]. Sludge and spent chemicals, including
acids and bases, are the main
volume of the produced waste in petroleum
refineries (typically around
45% and 14%, respectively). Over
the reported period between 1993
and 2013, the percentage of total disposed
waste to landfill reduced from
40 to 20%. In parallel, the recycled
waste increased from 18 to 34% [4].
Meanwhile, the total costs for waste
disposal at E.U. refineries increased
from $80 million to $137.2 million per
year. These are simply the costs for
disposal of the waste. The true cost
of waste is much higher, and includes
not only disposal costs, but also purchase
cost of materials, handling and
processing costs, management time,
monitoring costs, lost revenue, any
potential liabilities and post-disposal
segregation activities [5].
Finding value in waste
Since the 1970s, much progress
has been made in waste treatment.
Technology has matured and proven
to be successful in reducing pollution.
Waste typically has a negative
connotation - nonetheless, waste
can also have added value if used
as a feedstock for other industrial
processes. What was considered a
waste stream in the past can actually
be useful for certain purposes.
Most refineries have included process
units to treat the bottom of the
barrel contents, which were previously
seen as waste, producing more
clean fuels and valuable products.
In another example, desulfurization
of natural gas and fuels generates
cash flow, and has even supplanted
more traditional sulfur sources, such
as the Frasch process from mining
operations, as the main source
of raw materials in the sulfur market
(Figure 3).
Another example of waste re-purposing
is petroleum coke (petcoke),
which is a byproduct of extracting
and processing certain types of
crude petroleum. Previously seen as
a waste stream that must be sent
for disposal, the market for petcoke
is now expected to surpass $25 billion
by 2024 as co-incineration feed
in coal-fired power plants [7]. All of
these efforts were enforced by regulations,
but clearly show that there are
benefits to be earned in being more
mindful about waste streams. As the
supply of resources becomes more
uncertain, minimizing waste and making
more efficient use of resources as
part of an overall sustainability strategy
will benefit every company.
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Chemical Engineering December 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering December 2019