Is there a standard treatment to eliminate hydrocarbons from an industrial wastewater source?  I am working with an oil/water seperator, DAF and filter press system.  I have the ability to adjust pH and have on hand some generic coagulants and an anionic and a cationic polymer option.  I have mainly worked with metal extraction and am having trouble finding literauture to guide me through this hydrocarbon project.  I have not received back the volatile analytical results from the laboratory yet but need to start thinking of a plan of attack for this wastestream.  Any advice woudl be greatly appreciated!

-Kyle

Soluble oil is normally reduced via chemical addition and DAF or oil/water separator (see desalter also). This can normally get you to about 50mg/l as free and soluble oil but does not do much for meeting THC (total hydrocarbons), or more directly Aromatics, aliphatic compounds. VOCs can be reduced by aeration and/or ozonation. But again, ozone is pour at getting aromatics and aliphatics.

Depends on your discharge limit. We produced system to reduce THC to 5mg/l and even 1mg/l  - faster reduction if post DAF or oil/water separator.

Need to know the characteristics sof the wastewater (fresh-brackish-marine) - what other compounds may b e present (polymers-surfactants/soaps) etc and we need to know the flow rate and dishcarge limit you want to reach.

normally, you can add equipment into an existing process to enhance that which already exists as compared to total replacement - much less expensive (capital) and smaller footprint.

I have not received the analytical results back from the lab yet but have been told by the generator that the wastestream is primarily water that has been in contact with fuel.   Our permit allows for []'s of  Ethyl benzene at 1.00 mg/L, Benzene at 0.50 mg/L, Phelols at 5 mg/L and Oil and Grease of 150 mg/L.  I have been working with Ferric Chloride and Hydrogen Peroxide to try to create hydrocarbon radicals to ppt out of solution but am working blind without the anayltical results and because I have not had any luck researching methods for extraction.

oil/water separator with or without pH adjustment / demulsifier addition in advance (depending on whether you have emulsified oil or not) followed by a stripping column and an activated carbon filter for polishing might be sufficient for treatment.

Kind regards
T. Sobisch