Biofiltração de compostos orgânicos voláteis e gás sulfídrico em estações de despejos industriais de processamento de hidrocarbonetos.

Abstract

In this project the biofiltration technique was applied as air pollution control technology to treat simultaneously emissions containing volatile organic compounds, VOC and hydrogen sulfide, H2S, in hydrocarbon processing industries and oil refinery Waste Water Treatment Plant, WWTP. The technique demonstrated high biological efficiency up to 95 and 100 % of simultaneous biofiltration of VOC and H2S, with inicial concentration of 1000 and 100 ppmv, respectively. Tests were conducted at UN-SIX/ Petrobras Oil Shale Processing Unit facilities through 95 consecutives days, from March to August 2006. The chosen reactor model was an up stream system, pilot plant scale with volume of 3.77 m3 of an organic compost media made out a blend of peat, rotten wood chips, activated carbon, lime, among other minor components. The biological inoculation was done with sanitary sludge from WWTP. The pilot plant capacity was able to treat from 85 to 480 m3/h of WWTP off-gas, resulting COV application rate from 11.86 to 193.03 g VOC/ h. m3 of media, and residence time from 24 sec to 6.5 minutes, with optimum value at 1.6 minutes. The system maximum elimination rate was about 15 g VOC/h. m3, value comparable to ones presented in open literature. The specific BTX compounds depuration was observed, demonstrating relevant media specificity to treat organic compounds. Finally the biofiltration systems demonstrated good biological toughness considering the operational provoked upsets, as lack of media bed humidity, low biofiltration temperature, high flow rate, lack of VOC flow and acid pH. After normal operational conditions were retaken all process characteristics and efficiency [was] reached the correspondent values, showing reliable and efficient use of the technique to treat off gases in WWTP of hydrocarbon processing industries and Oil Refineries.