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Treatment of a Low-Salt Petrochemical Effluent Using a Slurry Photocatalytic Reactor

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Abstract

In this research, the chemical oxygen demand (COD) of a sample from low-salt effluent of the olefin unit of a petrochemical complex has been reduced using photocatalytic technique in ultraviolet light. The waste stream investigated herein is the olefin unit effluent of Maroon Petrochemical Complex located in southern Iran. For this purpose, a discontinuous slurry photoreactor was designed and built-up for laboratory studies. Various tests including XRD and SEM have been performed in order to evaluate and to confirm the structural properties of the employed photocatalysts. Furthermore, the effluent COD removal efficiency of the process has been investigated as a function of the common effective parameters in photocatalytic degradation such as photocatalyst concentration, aeration intensity, oxidation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and pH. The statistical results show that by decreasing pH and increasing catalyst concentration, the rate of COD reduction increases. Moreover, a further decrease of COD is observed at high pH values following an increase in the amount of auxiliary oxidant. In order to optimize the treatment process, the COD removal efficiency has been maximized and, consequently, the optimal values of the studied factors have been obtained. The final removal efficiencies achieved through the optimization process are in the range of 74 to 77%.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Petrochemical Company, Petrochemical Research and Technology Company - Mahshahr Centre, Mahshahr, Iran

    Amin Ahmadpour

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Mahshahr Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mahshahr, Iran

    Alireza Bozorgian

  3. Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran

    Ali Eslamimanesh

  4. Discipline of Chemical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Howard College Campus, King George V Avenue, Durban, 4041, South Africa

    Amir H. Mohammadi

  5. Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment, Durban University of Technology, Steve Biko Campus, Durban, 4001, South Africa

    Amir H. Mohammadi

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  1. Amin Ahmadpour
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  2. Alireza Bozorgian
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  3. Ali Eslamimanesh
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  4. Amir H. Mohammadi
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Correspondence to Alireza Bozorgian.

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Ahmadpour, A., Bozorgian, A., Eslamimanesh, A. et al. Treatment of a Low-Salt Petrochemical Effluent Using a Slurry Photocatalytic Reactor. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 409 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05877-2

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