Grantee Research Project Results
Final Report: Sustainable remediation of petroleum wastewater
EPA Grant Number: SU839298Title: Sustainable remediation of petroleum wastewater
Investigators: Miller, Charles , Doloman, Anna , Guymon, Nathan , Pererva, Yehor
Institution: Utah State University
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: February 1, 2018 through January 31, 2019
Project Amount: $15,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2017) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Sustainable and Healthy Communities , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Objective:
The challenge of current environmental nutrient and waste management is its high cost, inefficient hazardous compound removal and low recovery of potentially valuable products. Industrial waste streams are of the highest need for an improved management scheme, since these streams are particularly high in concentrations of hazardous compounds (minerals, metals, organic compounds). One of the most hazardous wastewater streams is from petroleum refineries, with estimated worldwide discharge of 33.6 million barrels per day. To address this challenge, our project design aims to effectively treat petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW) and recover a broad spectrum of nutrients in an economically-feasible way, which is essential for the development of sustainable water management practices.
Proposed is a nutrient recovery platform for petroleum refinery wastewater (PRW), and transformation of recovered nutrients into microalgal biomass, methane gas, and bioplastics. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is used for treatment of petroleum refinery wastewater and yields biogas and effluent streams. Effective treatment of PRW can be achieved in the upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor (UASB), which has high solids retention time. Initial tests were conducted in a batch Biomethane Potential Tests (BMP). Biogas (~80% methane) can be used as a feedstock for methanotrophic bacteria that convert this carbon source into polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which can be extracted from the microbial cells and used to create biodegradable plastics. Excessive nitrogen and phosphorous from the anaerobic digester effluent is reduced using microalgae-growing bioreactors. A portion of the microalgal biomass is then supplied back into the anaerobic digestion system to balance nitrogen and phosphorous concentrations for microbial growth. The goal of the proposed project is to promote nutrient recovery from petroleum-refinery wastewater and to generate multiple value-added products from a single feed source. The objectives to reach the goal include design, test and evaluation of the proposed scheme of wastewater conversion to bioplastics, with intermediate anaerobic digestion step, and growth of microalgal biomass.
Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):
To test the feasibility of treating PRW with anaerobic digestion, biodegradability and methane potential studies (BMP) were performed on PRW obtained from a refinery in the western region of the U.S. Results from the BMP testing demonstrate a promising application for the UASB-reactor scale. Current yields from 77 days of anaerobic digestion of PRW produced biogas with 40.6% methane. There was a visible color change (red to black) of the sludge during AD of PRW, demonstrating presence of sulphates and sulphate reducing bacteria. These bacteria are known competitors of methane producing bacteria, thus explaining why lower amounts of biogas/methane were produced during AD of PRW than initially expected. Nevertheless, there is a significant reduction in the total organic carbon chemical oxygen demand of the PRW. Co-digestion of PRW with recycled algal biomass (10% w/v) showed increased methane yield (37% increase), thus proving a feasibility of this co-digestion in future experiments with UASB reactors. Collected biogas from the BMP tests was used as a feedstock for the methanotrophic bacteria. Initially chosen M. trichosporium OB3b was substituted for the M. hirsuta CSC1, due to problems with maintaining pure cultures of OB3b and low cell densities. Current studies are determining the accumulation of PHAs in M.hirsuta CSC1 grown on 50% methane, including starvation and growth adjusting experiments. The bacterial cultures are also able to grow on biogas from BMP tests. Growth of microalgae on AD effluent has not been tested yet, since digestion of PRW is in the batch testing stage now and continuous flow is the next step that will be assessed during the summer of 2018. However, vigorous microalgae growth and biomass production is expected, since preliminary studies showed this type of growth in undiluted PRW.
Overall, the expected output of having a working scheme of sustainable petroleum refinery wastewater remediation is in transition from the batch tests to the continuous flow system. The long-term outcome of educating Utah state communities will be achieved during the summer fairs and via displaying our PRW treatment demonstration unit at Utah State University. From June 4-8, 2018, we will be presenting our EPA sponsored activities to high school students from the Intermountain West at USU's Engineering State event. The outcomes of the suggested sustainable scheme of PRW treatment lie in the implementing a working treatment scheme at the local refinery or at the international wastewater equipment company WesTech-Inc. in Salt Lake City. First trials will be in place after approval for the Phase II grant, with assistance from a local wastewater equipment company, WesTech Inc.
Conclusions:
The USU team was able to successfully demonstrate the feasibility of the anaerobic digestion of PRW in a batch setting and the possibility to convert collected biogas into the bioplastics monomers. As part of the EPA P3 goals to address People, Prosperity and Planet, the team has successfully educated visitors of the National Sustainable Design Expo on the necessity of a closed water resources management cycle and a need for the sustainable resource-mining in the petroleum industry. The demonstration unit showcased at the Expo in Washington, DC is currently on a display at the College of Engineering at Utah State University, bringing attention to a broad spectrum of students, thus promoting education for sustainability. More outreach activities are planned for the remaining time of the Phase I grant.
Proposed Phase II Objectives and Strategies: The main objectives for the Phase II proposal include design, test and evaluation of our proposed scheme for petroleum refinery wastewater conversion to methane, microalgal biomass, bioplastics and remediated water on the industrial level, with the help of the local and international wastewater equipment company, WesTech Inc.
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 1 publications | 1 publications in selected types | All 1 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Doloman A, Pererva Y, Cortez M, Sims R, Miller C. Augmentation of Granular Anaerobic Sludge with Algalytic Bacteria Enhances Methane Production from Microalgal Biomass. FERMENTATION 2019;5(4):88. |
SU839298 (Final) |
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Supplemental Keywords:
sustainable water management, biogas, closed loop recycling, hazardous waste remediation, waste to valueRelevant Websites:
Sustainable Waste-to-Bioproduct Engineering Center Exit
Charles Miller Profile Picture Biological Engineering Exit
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.