Olefin Plant Wastewater Treatment Issues – Unique Challenges and their Solutions

Presentation by: Paul T Sun, PhD, PE and Somnath Basu, PhD, PE Headworks International

ABSTRACT

The ethylene/propylene production industry has been profoundly changed due to the frac gas production. A large number of world class gas steam crackers are being designed or under construction in the Gulf Coast Region and beyond. Although the wastewater production of these units is not as complex compared with integrated refinery/naphtha cracker, it has unique characteristics which will demand careful evaluations. These issues are:

1. Spent caustic treatment
2. Quench water pretreatment
3. Cooling water handling
4. Biological wastewater treatment due to inorganic nutrient deficiency
5. Others

The presentation will consist of:

1. A general discussion of the ethane cracking process and wastewater generation;
2. Characteristics of effluent streams generated from gas cracking operations;
3. Challenges handling, treatment and management of gas cracking wastewater;
4. Wastewater treatment processes – physicochemical and biological
5. Case histories on the challenges and their mitigation at three crackers globally will be presented.