Suitability of Scirpus maritimus for petroleum hydrocarbons remediation in a refinery environment

Purpose  

In the ambit of a project searching for appropriate biological approaches for recovering a refinery soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC), we compared results obtained in the absence and in the presence of the salt marsh plant Scirpus maritimus or Juncus maritimus or an association of these two plants, which were tested in the refinery environment. Synergistic effects caused by addition of a non-ionic surfactant and/or a bioaugmentation product were also investigated. Major challenges of this study were: field conditions and weathered contamination.     

Performance of RBC coupled to a polyurethane foam to biodegrade petroleum refinery wastewater

Biological treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater was studied in a rotating biological contactor (RBC) coupled to a polyurethane foam (PUF) as a porous biomass support. The PUF was attached on both sides of biodisks. The biodegradation studies were carried out at varying hydraulic and organic loadings. COD removal efficiency of up to 87% was achieved. The results obtained in terms of biodegradation of COD, NH3-N, phenol, hydrocarbons and suspended solids in this study were compared with those in the literature. The RBC-PUF bioreactor was found to have a better performance than a conventional RBC for the biodegradation of the above mentioned parameters. A higher concentration of active biomass (77 g TVS/m2) was observed in the RBC-PUF as compared to other treatment systems. A linear relationship between COD applied and COD removed was observed for the combined four stage system as well as for the individual stages.     

Classification of bacterial isolates of the Jordanian oil refinery petroleum sludge

The aim of this study is to characterise the bacterial isolates of Jordanian oil refinery sludge for the purpose of using microorganisms in treating industrial wastewater effluents that contains hydrocarbons. Morphological, physiological, biochemical, antimicrobial susceptibility tests and 16S-23S rRNA spacer region polymorphism were used to characterise the isolated thermotolerant Bacillus, with specific reference to Bacillus strains. Data were coded and analysed by numerical techniques using the Gower coefficients and by average linkage (UPGMA) analysis. The study resulted in allocation of strains into two areas at 50.0% similarity levels and ten major phenons at 78.0% similarity level. Amplification of 16S-32S rRNA genes divided all strains into two areas at 48.0% similarity level; however, at 78.0% similarity level five taxonomically distinct phenons were evident.     

炼油厂轻污染水回用试验研究

针对某炼油厂轻污染废水水质情况，选用了BAF（生物曝气滤池）工艺＋SF（砂滤）工艺对该废水进行净化处理。通过试验研究，得到了BAF工艺合适的运行参数，取得了满意的试验结果。经BAF工艺处理后，出水COD和油平均浓度分别为9.78mg／L和0.24mg／L，再经SF工艺进一步去除SS后，出水SS平均浓度为3．8mg／L，系统处理出水完全达到工业回用水水质要求。试验证明：BAF工艺是一种高效的处理方法，适合炼油厂轻污染水的净化处理。     

炼油厂轻污染水回用试验研究

针对某炼油厂轻污染废水水质情况,选用了BAF(生物曝气滤池)工艺+SF(砂滤)工艺对该废水进行净化处理。通过试验研究,得到了BAF工艺合适的运行参数,取得了满意的试验结果。经BAF工艺处理后,出水COD和油平均浓度分别为9.78mg/L和0.24mg/L,再经SF工艺进一步去除SS后,出水SS平均浓度为3.8mg/L,系统处理出水完全达到工业回用水水质要求。试验证明:BAF工艺是一种高效的处理方法,适合炼油厂轻污染水的净化处理。     

Mesocosm trials of bioremediation of contaminated soil of a petroleum refinery: comparison of natural attenuation,biostimulation and bioaugmentation

Purpose  

Contamination with petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) is a global problem with environmental implications. Physico-chemical treatments can be used for soil cleanup, but they are expensive, and can have implications for soil structure and environment. Otherwise, biological remediation treatments are cost-effective and restore soil structure. Several remediation experiments have been carried out in the lab and in the field; however, there is the challenge to achieve as good or better results in the field as in the laboratory. In the ambit of a project aiming at investigating suitable biological remediation approaches for recovering a refinery contaminated soil, we present here results obtained in bioremediation trials. The approaches biostimulation and bioaugmentation were tested, in parallel, and compared with natural attenuation. For this purpose, mesocosm experiments were carried out inside the refinery area, which constitutes a real asset of this work.     

Uranium concentrations in air near a canadian uranium refinery

During 1981 and 1982 a project was undertaken to determine the possible health impact of airborne emissions from a Canadian uranium (U) refinery. High volume air samplers and dustfall collectors were located within 2 km of the refinery to obtain samples of U dust. Concentrations of U in air varied from 2 to 200 ng m⁻³ with a geometric mean of 20 ng m⁻³. Reasonable agreement was obtained between the measured concentrations and the predictions of a long-term atmospheric dispersion model. Measurements of particle sizes and deposition velocities of U-bearing dust indicated that its behaviour was typical of general urban dust. Thus standard dosimetric models could be used to estimate radiation doses. The dose to the nearest receptor from 1 year of refinery operation was estimated to be 0.16 millisieverts, and the collective dose to area residents was 0.14 person-sieverts. No observable health effects would be expected at these levels.     

Direct measurement of fugitive emissions of hydrocarbons from a refinery

Refineries are a source of emissions of volatile hydrocarbons that contribute to the formation of smog and ozone. Fugitive emissions of hydrocarbons are difficult to measure and quantify. Currently these emissions are estimated based on standard emission factors for the type and use of equipment installed. Differential absorption light detection and ranging (DIAL) can remotely measure concentration profiles of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere up to several hundred meters from the instrument. When combined with wind speed and direction, downwind vertical DIAL scans can be used to calculate mass fluxes of the measured gas leaving the site. Using a mobile DIAL unit, a survey was completed at a Canadian refinery to quantify fugitive emissions of methane, C2+ hydrocarbons, and benzene and to apportion the hydrocarbon emissions to the various areas of the refinery. Refinery fugitive emissions as measured with DIAL during this demonstration study were 1240 kg/hr of C2+ hydrocarbons, 300 kg/hr of methane, and 5 kg/hr of benzene. Storage tanks accounted for over 50% of the total emissions of C2+ hydrocarbons and benzene. The coker area and cooling towers were also significant sources. The C2+ hydrocarbons emissions measured during the demonstration amounted to 0.17% of the mass of the refinery hydrocarbon throughput for that period. If the same loss were repeated throughout the year, the lost product would represent a value of US$3.1 million/yr (assuming US$40/bbl). The DIAL-measured hourly emissions of C2+ hydrocarbons were 15 times higher than the emission factor estimates and gave a different perspective on which areas of the refinery were the main source of emissions. Methods, such as DIAL, that can directly measure fugitive emissions would improve the effectiveness of efforts to reduce emissions, quantify the reduction in emissions, and improve the accuracy of emissions data that are reported to regulators and the public.     

Development and verification of a screening model for surface spreading of petroleum

Overflows and leakage from aboveground storage tanks and pipelines carrying crude oil and petroleum products occur frequently. The spilled hydrocarbons pose environmental threats by contaminating the surrounding soil and the underlying ground water. Predicting the fate and transport of these chemicals is required for environmental risk assessment and for remedial measure design. The present paper discusses the formulation and application of the Oil Surface Flow Screening Model (OILSFSM) for predicting the surface flow of oil by taking into account infiltration and evaporation. Surface flow is simulated using a semi-analytical model based on the lubrication theory approximation of viscous flow. Infiltration is simulated using a version of the Green and Ampt infiltration model, which is modified to account for oil properties. Evaporation of volatile compounds is simulated using a compositional model that accounts for the changes in the fraction of each compound in the spilled oil. The coupling between surface flow, infiltration and evaporation is achieved by incorporating the infiltration and evaporation fluxes into the global continuity equation of the spilled oil. The model was verified against numerical models for infiltration and analytical models for surface flow. The verification study demonstrates the applicability of the model.     

Stigmastane and hopanes as conserved biomarkers for estimating oil biodegradation in a former refinery plant-contaminated soil

In the last decade, a refinery plant located in Lido Adriano, East Ravenna (Italy) has been subject to mineral oil contamination. The mineral crude oil, extracted from the offshore in Adriatic sea, consisted of 78% aliphatics, cyclic alkanes and saturated polycyclic hydrocarbons, 9% aromatics, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated derivatives, and 13% of tars/asphaltenes. Analysis of soil after 10 years of natural attenuation revealed a complete depletion of linear (n-C(9)-C(24)), light aromatics (C1-C3/benzenes) and PAHs (C2/naphthalene, C1/phenanthrene); besides a substantial degradation of isoprenoids prystane and phytane, branched and cyclic alkanes. The remaining contaminants which withstood to natural degradation was saturated polycyclic hydrocarbons (perhydro-PAH derivatives), unsaturated polycyclic hydrocarbons (tetrahydro, dihydro-PAH derivatives), terpanes, steranes and unidentified compounds. Such residues resulted in 80% reduction of its concentration after two months of laboratory treatment. Samples were extracted by organic solvents, separated by silica/alumina gel column chromatography and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass selective detector (GC-MSD). Identification and quantification of aliphatic, cyclic alkanes, typical PAHs, terpanes and steranes were carried out to chromatograms of M/Z=85, 83, individual M/Zs, M/Z=191 and 217, respectively. The present work shows that, among numerous biomarkers present in the source oil, stigmastane and two isomers of hopane showed invariable concentrations after laboratory experiments that mimic natural biodegradation in the field, so they can be used as conserved internal biomarkers. These are very useful tools to assess alterations in less stable classes of saturated compounds contained in petroleum. Marked degradation of perhydro, tetrahydro, dihydro-PAH derivatives in the laboratory treatment has been evidenced.     

Feasibility of bioleaching integrated with a chemical oxidation process for improved leaching of valuable metals from refinery spent hydroprocessing catalyst

Bioleaching is considered an eco-friendly technique for leaching metals from spent hydroprocessing catalysts; however, the low bioleaching yield of some valuable metals (Mo and V) is a severe bottleneck to its successful implementation. The present study reported the potential of an integrated bioleaching-chemical oxidation process in improved leaching of valuable metals (Mo and V) from refinery spent hydroprocessing catalysts. The first stage bioleaching of a spent catalyst (coked/decoked) was conducted using sulfur-oxidizing microbes. The results suggested that after 72 h of bioleaching, 85.7% Ni, 86.9% V, and 72.1% Mo were leached out from the coked spent catalyst. Bioleaching yield in decoked spent catalyst was relatively lower (86.8% Ni, 79.8% V, and 59.8% Mo). The low bioleaching yield in the decoked spent catalyst was attributed to metals’ presence in stable fractions (residual + oxidizable). After first stage bioleaching, the integration of a second stage chemical oxidation process (1 M H₂O₂) drastically improved the leaching of Ni, Mo, and V (94.2–100%) from the coked spent catalyst. The improvement was attributed to the high redox potential (1.77 V) of the H₂O₂, which led to the transformation of low-valence metal sulfides into high-valence metallic ions more conducive to acidic bioleaching. In the decoked spent catalyst, the increment in the leaching yield after second stage chemical oxidation was marginal (<5%). The results suggested that the integrated bioleaching-chemical oxidation process is an effective method for the complete leaching of valuable metals from the coked spent catalyst.

     

一株絮凝剂高效产生菌的筛选及对炼油废水絮凝特性的研究

采用常规的细菌分离纯化方法从土壤和活性污泥中分离出237株菌株,通过考察菌株的絮凝能力及稳定性,从中筛选出一株絮凝剂菌,命名为HT1-2,根据其生理生化实验结果,初步鉴定该菌株为芽孢杆菌属(Bacillus)。对HT1-2的培养条件进行优化,通过单因素和正交实验得到其最优培养条件为:碳源(葡萄糖)2.0%(质量分数),氮源(氯化铵)0.2%(质量分数),菌液接种量10%(质量分数),培养温度30℃,摇床转速120r/min,发酵液初始pH=8。在此条件下培养的HT1-2对炼油废水中石油类去除率达40%以上。     

Robust bioinspired surfaces and their exploitation for petroleum hydrocarbon remediation

The current improvement in science and engineering, actively dealing with surfaces and interfaces, turns into a functioning control with a thriving advancement propensity. Superlyophobic/superlyophilic phenomena in surface sciences have pulled in broad considerations of researchers and specialists. Inspired by the natural and living organism, researchers have designed different biomimetic materials with exceptional surface wettability, such as the smart wetting of asymmetric spider silk surfaces. These smart materials with superlyophobic/superlyophilic wettability are generally utilized for water assortment, self-cleaning, fluid transportation and separation, and many researchers’ domains. Among them, emulsion separation, including division of oil-water blend, mixtures of immiscible liquids and oil-water emulsions, is highlighted by an increasing number of researchers. Numerous materials with one- and two-dimensional morphology, smart surfaces, and super wettability have been effectively designed and utilized in various scientific research applications. We expect that these bioinspired materials with super wettability can have promising applications in practical for emulsion destabilization and liquid transportation.

     

以石油酸为主要原料的重油乳化剂的研制

采用石油酸与三乙醇胺，非离子型表面活性剂复配制备了一种廉价的重油乳化剂，最佳配方为石油酸500mg，三乙醇胺25mg，非离子表面活性剂2为25mg，乳化助剂H20mg,pH11（共占乳化油总质量的0．57％），可使油水质量比为70：30的油包水型乳化重油在80℃下稳定36h，实验过程中采用均匀设计与调优软件进行实验方案的设计和实验结果的优化，考察了乳化剂中石油酸与三乙醇胺和非离子表面活性剂量的协同作用以及PH的影响。结果表明，组分间交互作用明显，在不同的配方下，组分的作用会有很大变化，有时甚至会是相反的。     

Nitrification in polluted soil fertilized with fast- and slow-releasing nitrogen: a case study at a refinery landfarming site

The nitrifying activity and the effect of fertilization with urea and methylene urea were studied in a landfarming site. The site has been operative over 20 years and maintained by heavy nitrogen fertilization. The landfarming soil contained 4-6% (w/w) oil. The nitrate accumulation was 20-50mg NO3-N day(-1)kg(-1) observed after methylene urea fertilization of 889 g Nm(-2). Nitrification ex situ (in laboratory conditions) was 8.8 mg NO3-N day(-1) kg(-1) in the presence of 380 mg kg(-1) NH4+-N. The half-saturation concentration of nitrification was more than 200 mg NH4+-N kg(-1). The results show that nitrification was active in soil with high oil concentration. Urea fertilization of 893 g Nm(-2) caused an increase of soil NH4+-N concentration up to 5500 mg kg(-1) and pH>8.5. This led to inhibition of nitrification, which persisted after NH4+ concentration decreased below 200mg NH4+ kg(-1).     

微生物燃料电池修复石油污染盐碱土壤

生物电化学技术修复石油污染土壤并同步产出电能是一种新兴的污染土壤生态修复技术。对石油污染土壤通过其微生物燃料电池的构造,利用电化学阻抗谱分析了土壤的欧姆内阻,拟合估算了土壤的电导率,并考察了土壤微生物燃料电池的产电性能和修复效果。结果表明：采用丙酮清洗过的阳极并有水封的情况下,土壤微生物燃料电池的欧姆内阻下降了52%,电导率升高了1倍;在启动后的120 h内,最大电压和累计产出电量分别达189 mV和36 C,与对照相比分别增加了20和29倍。输出电压随着阴极与阳极之间距离的增大而减小。经过30 d的生物电化学处理,土壤中的总石油烃去除率是开路对照的3.3倍。该研究是石油污染盐碱土壤生物电化学修复的初步探索,以为污染土壤的生态修复提供新的思路。     

脂肽生物表面活性剂作用下多菌种石油生物降解影响因素优化

探索多种菌种降解石油过程中菌种和脂肽生物表面活性剂的作用,筛选石油降解的主要影响因素及最佳组合,并为石油污染物的降解机理研究和石油污染修复提供指导。基于正交实验筛选主要影响因素,采用Box-Behnken实验探讨各因素最佳水平。正交实验中脂肽生物表面活性剂是多菌种降解石油过程中最主要的影响因素,在Box-Behnken实验中,其能显著地影响石油降解率。菌种降解能力是石油饱和烃组分生物降解的最主要影响因素,但脂肽生物表面活性剂是芳烃、胶质和沥青质组分降解的最主要的影响因素。研究所用菌种中,解淀粉芽孢杆菌（Bacillus amyloliquefaciens）和假单胞菌（Pseudomonas aeruginosa）在石油降解过程最重要,是本实验的石油降解最优菌。菌种和脂肽生物表面活性剂的添加浓度配比对于石油降解具有重要的影响。解淀粉芽孢杆菌和假单胞菌添加量5%,脂肽生物表面活性剂粗品添加量200 mg·L-1的降解效果最优,理论上,最高降解率可达63.78%,验证降解率达到了53.89%,相对于多菌种正交实验最高降解率提高了5.54%。利用正交实验和Box-Behnken实验筛选最优降解菌和最优菌种组合的方法,具有分析因素多、实验量少等优点,具有较好的应用前景。     

污染源在线监测监控的出路在于第三方营运管理

分析了污染源在线监测监控设备管理中存在的问题，从管理、技术等方面提出了污染源在线监测监控第三方营运的必要性和可性，分析了三种营运方式的利弊，介绍了南京市在线监测管理改革中的初步成果。     

He-Ne激光诱变选育高效石油烃降解菌的研究

采用He-Ne激光器对绿针假单胞菌(Pseudomonas chlororaphis)进行激光诱变育种。在激光照射功率10 mW,时间10 min条件下,筛选到一株遗传性状稳定的高效石油烃降解菌PS 2。摇瓶实验发现当培养液中初始柴油含量为0.2%～0.5%(V/V)、温度为30℃左右、pH值为7～8的条件下,突变菌PS 2对石油烃的降解效果最好。在最适生长条件下,突变菌PS 2在120 h内将培养液中的石油烃完全降解且不存在延滞期,比出发菌株少用24 h。结果表明,He-Ne激光诱变育种技术是获得高效石油烃降解菌的有效途径之一。