A master thesis from Aalborg University
OPTIMIZING OIL-WATER SEPARATION : A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SYNTHETIC AND BIOLOGICAL COAGULANTS AND FLOCCULANTS WITH EMPHASIS ON EXTRACELLULAR POLYMERIC SUBSTANCES (EPS)
Author(s)
Term
4. semester
Publication year
2024
Submitted on
2024-06-03
Pages
46 pages
Abstract
A significant amount of wastewater is created by the oil and gas sector, which is responsible for producing produced water (PW), which is an emulsion of oil-water. To reduce environmental impact, traditional treatment approaches including physical, chemical and biological treatments are used. Oily water treatment become a significant problem and is now an important topic among engineers when it comes to undoing the harm. Because of the molecular interactions and repulsive forces acting on the particles creating PW, it is really hard to perform the demulsifying operations and separate the substances. This study examines the effectiveness of several coagulants and flocculants, crucial for PW treatment processes. Cationic starch and EPS II obtained promising results and qualify as good synthetic flocculant substitutes. In the group of synthetic coagulants, ironic sulfate (PIX113) appeared as the most effective one. This study also looked at the order of substances added to separate oil emulsions. In the majority of CaCl2 dosages, EPS II at pH 8 worked best when added first. However, the lowest turbidity results were obtained when CaCl2 was added first, but only within the 450 – 1000 [l] dosage of CaCl2. These results imply that conducting more research within that area can increase the biocoagulants’ capacity to replace the synthetic ones. The efficiency of EPS I and EPS II is strongly influenced by pH, which also affects zeta potential, particle size and viscosity. In a neutral/basic environment, both EPS I and EPS II accompanied by CaCl2, performed at their best, with EPS II revealing the highest turbidity removal efficiency at pH 8. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis exposed that EPS I and EPS II have comparable chemical compositions, despite distinct origin sources, indicating that they can be used compatibly as a coagulant. The significance of dosage, pH and coagulant sequencing was brought up to attention throughout this research. This study aims to contribute to more sustainable water treatment solutions.
Keywords
Documents
Colophon: This page is part of the AAU Student Projects portal, which is run by Aalborg University. Here, you can find and download publicly available bachelor's theses and master's projects from across the university dating from 2008 onwards. Student projects from before 2008 are available in printed form at Aalborg University Library.
If you have any questions about AAU Student Projects or the research registration, dissemination and analysis at Aalborg University, please feel free to contact the VBN team. You can also find more information in the AAU Student Projects FAQs.