Application of Advanced Oxidation Processes in the Reclamation of Wastewaters from the Oil & Gas Sector

Identifier:  TDX:3384

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TDX3384

Authors:  Demir Duz, Hande

Abstract:
This thesis has been developed within two projects dealing with the reclamation of wastewater generated by the oil & gas industry. The first project aimed at water reuse in the oil & gas sector treating the downstream effluents by advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). For this, several photo-based and ozone-based AOPs were assessed in detail starting from a synthetic refinery wastewater (SRW) with a complex composition. After the initial screening on SRW, the treatment performance of the different AOPs was investigated with three different real wastewaters, aiming at reaching the requirements for water reuse in the plant. The second project considered the treatment of oil sands process water (OSPW) currently stored in tailing ponds because of the zero-discharge policy in Alberta region, in Canada. Firstly, catalytic ozone-based and UV-based treatments with different oxidants and operating pH were compared. UV/Fenton treatment was considered as an effective method for removing the organic components present in the effluent that cause acute toxicity. The catalytic activities of granular activated carbon-based materials previously doped with heteroatom (N or N/S) and Fe (III) were also investigated. For catalytic ozonation of a synthetic water, a catalyst selection was performed based on the fractional factorial design. Afterwards, the selected materials were investigated further for the treatment of real OSPW. The use of ozone-based AOPs including H2O2 and UVC to achieve mineralization was examined in detail, while also aiming at reduction in toxicity arising from the organic components including naphthenic acids present in the effluent. UVC combination to O3-based treatments was studied for the first time to treat OSPW.