Oil - Petroleum refinery (NACE code: C19.2)

General Information about the sector

Crude oil and natural gas as natural raw materials need to be treated in order to obtain the necessary characteristics to turn to useful saleable products. For this reason, refining process is carried out. Both crude oil and natural gas are natural hydrocarbons and are found in many and different areas of the world, in a variety of composition and quantities. These hydrocarbons are transformed into different products in refineries. Some examples are the following:

  • Fuels for different means of transport (cars, ships, airplanes etc.)
  • Combustion fuels for heat and power generation for industrial, commercial and domestic use.
  • Raw materials for chemical and petrochemical industries.
  • Other products as paraffins/waxes, bitumen and lubricating oils.
  • Energy as by-product in the form of the heat (steam) and power (electricity).

 

Industrial Activity (NACE Code C19.2)

Section

Division

Group

Description

C

 

 

Manufacture

 

C19

 

 Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products

 

 

C19.2

 Manufacture of refined petroleum products

 

 

Brine effluent generated in Oil - Petroleum refinery

Desalting units are used for the removal of contaminants as water inorganic salts, sand, water-soluble trace metals, silt, rust and other suspended solids from crude oil. These impurities are characterized as bottom sediment (Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Refining of Mineral Oil and Gas, 2015). The following table summarizes the pollutants present in the saline effluent generated from desalting process according to Best Available Techniques (BAT) Reference Document for the Refining of Mineral Oil and Gas (2015) and U.S Environmental Protection Agency).

 

Composition of the wastewater generated in the desalting process

Water pollutants (mg/l)

BREF (b)  (2015)

Suspended solids

50 – 100*

Oil/oil emulsions

High

Dissolved hydrocarbons

50 – 300*

Phenols 

5 – 30*

Benzene

30 – 100*

BOD  

High*

COD  

500 – 2000*

Ammonia  

50 – 100*

Nitrogen compounds (N-Kj)

15 – 20*

Sulphides (as H2S) 

10*

Na+      

12000-150000

Mg2+    

500-25000

Ca2+      

1000-120000

Cl-         

20000-250000

SO42

0-3600

HCO3- 

0-1200

K+     

30-4000

Br-   

50-5000

I    

1-300

Temperature (oC)

115 – 150*

*N.A. : Not applicable

 

 

Brine effluent generated in Oil - Petroleum refinery

Desalting units are used for the removal of contaminants as water inorganic salts, sand, water-soluble trace metals, silt, rust and other suspended solids from crude oil. These impurities are characterized as bottom sediment (BREF (b), 2015, Pak & Mohammadi, 2008). The following table summarizes the pollutants present in the saline effluent generated from desalting process.

 

Composition of the wastewater generated in the desalting process

Water pollutants (mg/l)

BREF (b)  (2015)

EPA (1997)

Pak & Mohammadi (2008)

Suspended solids

50 – 100*

N.A.

N.A.

Oil/oil emulsions

High

N.A.

N.A.

Dissolved hydrocarbons

50 – 300*

N.A.

N.A.

Phenols 

5 – 30*

N.A.

N.A.

Benzene

30 – 100*

N.A.

N.A.

BOD  

High*

N.A.

N.A.

COD  

500 – 2000*

N.A.

N.A.

Ammonia  

50 – 100*

N.A.

N.A.

Nitrogen compounds (N-Kj)

15 – 20*

N.A.

N.A.

Sulphides (as H2S) 

10*

N.A.

N.A.

Na+      

N.A.

12 000 – 150 000

65 633

Mg2+    

N.A.

500 – 25 000

1 000

Ca2+      

N.A.

1 000 – 120 000

8 350

Cl-         

N.A.

20 000 – 250 000

118 925

SO42

N.A.

0 – 3 600

216

HCO3- 

N.A.

0 – 1 200

153

K+     

N.A.

30 – 4 000

N.A

Br-   

N.A.

50 – 5 000

N.A.

I    

N.A.

1 - 300

N.A

Temperature (oC)

115 – 150*

N.A.

N.A.

*N.A. : Not applicable