Petroleum refinery waste management and minimization

Transcription

1 Petroeum refinery waste management and minimization An IPIECA Good Practice Guide Operations Good Practice Series

2 The goba oi and gas industry association for environmenta and socia issues 5th Foor, Backfriars Road, London SE1 8NL, United Kingdom Teephone: +44 (0) Facsimie: +44 (0) E-mai: Internet: IPIECA 2014 A rights reserved. No part of this pubication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieva system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, eectronic, mechanica, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of IPIECA. This pubication has been deveoped to support the impementation of IPIECA s mission and vision. Whist every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, it is intended to provide genera guidance ony. It is not designed to provide ega or other advice, nor shoud it be reied upon as a substitute for appropriate technica expertise or professiona advice. A attempts have been made to ensure the information is correct at of the date of pubication. This pubication does not constitute a mandatory commitment which members of IPIECA are obiged to adopt. The views and concusions expressed herein do not necessariy refect the views of a IPIECA members or the individuas, companies and institutions that contributed to this pubication. Whie reasonabe precautions have been taken to ensure that the information contained in this pubication is accurate and timey, this pubication is distributed without warranty of any kind, express or impied. IPIECA does not endorse or accept responsibiity for the content or avaiabiity of any website referred to, or inked to, in this pubication. The responsibiity for the interpretation and use of this pubication ies with the user and in no event wi IPIECA nor any of its members past, present or future regardess of its or their negigence, assume iabiity for any foreseeabe or unforeseeabe use made thereof, which iabiity is hereby excuded. Consequenty, such use is at the recipient s own risk on the basis that any use by the recipient constitutes agreement to the terms of this discaimer. This discaimer shoud be construed in accordance with Engish aw.

3 Petroeum refinery waste management and minimization An IPIECA Good Practice Guide This document was produced in coaboration with An Meá. A photographs are reproduced courtesy of Shutterstock.com, except photograph on cover (top right) which is courtesy of istockphoto.com.

4 IPIECA PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Contents Executive summary 1 Introduction 3 Waste management systems 4 Sources of waste 6 Process waste 7 Maintenance and operationa waste 8 Commercia waste 9 Medica waste 9 Waste characterization 10 Waste minimization 12 Genera practices and housekeeping 14 Waste documentation 14 Storage, treatment and disposa 17 Storage 17 Waste treatment 19 Waste disposa 20 Annex: Refinery processes and 25 associated waste descriptions Crude oi desating 25 Cataytic cracking 27 Cataytic hydrocracking 28 Cataytic reforming 30 Isomerization 31 Sovent extraction 33 Akyation 35 Poymerization 37 Residua upgrading 39 Lube oi processing 41 H 2 S remova and suphur recovery 43 Adsorbent fitering 45 Storage tanks 46 Lead aky storage 47 Coking unit 48 Hydrogen production 48 Utiities 49 References 50 On-site treatment and disposa issues 22 Off-site treatment and disposa contractor issues 23 Waste site assessment and audit 24 ii

5 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Executive summary Optimized, effective waste management is integra to petroeum refinery operations. It heps minimize risk to both peope and the environment, enhances resource utiization, and can aso reduce costs. This document provides a comprehensive and practica guide to refinery waste management, detaiing waste types, waste characterization, and key management processes and technoogies. Many countries have detaied egisative requirements and contro systems that appy to a aspects of waste management, whie others have ess reguatory oversight and guidance. Designed primariy to aid refinery waste management in countries with ess (or no) reguatory oversight and guidance, this guide wi aso be of use to any refinery targeting enhanced waste management performance. A section on sources of waste describes four broad categories of soid waste generated by refineries process waste, maintenance and operationa wastes, commercia waste and medica waste where appropriate and detais the types of waste in each category. The guide outines the processes for identification and quantification of soid waste streams, and underines the importance of understanding waste generation cyces in panning and impementing appropriate waste management. Refinery wastewater treatment and the wastes produced from it are covered in detai in the reated IPIECA document, Petroeum refining water/wastewater use and management. The guide discusses the importance of characterization of refinery waste streams, to enabe reguatory cassification, as we as the identification of potentia heath, safety or environmenta risks reated to waste storage, transport, processing and disposa. It expores waste samping and anaysis, and incudes inks to US EPA and European Union websites reated to waste characterization. A section expores how and why waste minimization shoud be incorporated into a 1

6 IPIECA refinery waste management systems to identify opportunities to prevent or reduce waste generation. The guide aso ooks at waste treatment options that can reduce any potentia impacts at the disposa stage. Activities that can hep to reduce wastes and attendant hazards are differentiated and their terminoogy defined. management options for typica refinery waste streams. An extensive annex detais refinery processes and associated descriptions. Waste streams that cannot be reduced, reused or recyced wi typicay be managed on-site or off-site through a combination of storage, treatment and disposa methods. The guide describes the options and stages for storage, treatment and disposa, and underines the importance of fu documentation in enabing compiance with any appicabe egisation, and in minimizing the risks of exposure of personne to hazardous substances and the potentia for contamination of soi and groundwater. A discussion of on-site and off-site treatment and disposa issues is incuded. Recognizing that waste management does not stop at the refinery gates, and often invoves third-party contractors for transport, treatment and disposa, the guidance emphasizes the importance of using support services with appropriate quaifications, expertise, equipment and sites, and maintaining fu chain-of-custody documentation. To ensure continuous, effective waste management, refineries shoud consider operationa audits of on- and off-site waste management faciities and activities, incuding the equipment, sites and activities of waste contractors. The guide s fina section outines the auditing process and key considerations, whie emphasizing the importance of reguar operationa audits, and/or auditing before and after contracts are agreed, and/or when they are amended or renewed. The guide incudes fowcharts of key processes, checkists of key considerations and expanations of key terms, which can hep to identify both improvement priorities and 2

7 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Introduction Effective waste management is an integra part of the operation of a petroeum refinery. Optimizing the management of waste heps to minimize risk to peope and to the environment, makes more effective use of resources and, in some cases, can reduce costs. In many countries, detaied egisative requirements appy to a aspects of waste management, with each country empoying its own unique system of contros. However, in other countries, far ess reguatory oversight and guidance exists. This guidance is intended primariy for refinery waste management in countries with ess (or no) reguatory oversight and guidance, and to assist oca management to improve their waste management performance, if needed. This document describes a variety of design, operationa, equipment and procedura eements that can be considered to hep define a waste management system, identify priorities for improvement and highight waste management options for waste streams typicay produced at a refinery. The design and operationa eements and equipment referred to are provided as options for consideration and shoud not be interpreted to be appicabe as standard operation in a refineries. When considering the appicabiity of any particuar technique, site-specific factors incuding as-buit faciity design imitations, government reguatory requirements and ack of commerciay avaiabe waste management infrastructure shoud be taken into account. The term waste is used in this document to generay define any iquid or soid residue from site refinery operations, other than a petroeum product, for which there is no economicay viabe outet and which therefore needs to be managed via recycing, treatment or disposa. 3

8 IPIECA Waste management systems Optima waste management at a refinery is best achieved by the impementation of a waste management system, either as a stand-aone combination of equipment and procedures that are appied to manage the waste materias produced, or as a part of an overa environmenta management system or an integrated environment, heath and safety (EHS) management system. In order to maximize benefits to the site as a whoe, integration of waste management within an overa EHS management system is preferred because the management of other environmenta aspects, such as emissions to air and water, can be interreated. It is therefore usefu to periodicay evauate waste management hoisticay within the context of the rest of the EHS management system. The waste management system itsef shoud incude the eements shown in Figure 1, aong with appropriate training and documentation to describe the processes used and to record the outcomes. These eements are examined in more detai within the reevant sections of this document. Key to successfu impementation of a management system is site management ownership that is demonstrated by approva, commitment and eadership. As a minimum, the faciity shoud ensure that it compies with a oca aws and reguations concerning waste management. A survey of the nationa aws, oca reguations and any other agreements appicabe to waste management and disposa practices shoud be competed, as Figure 1 Key eements in the waste management system 4

9 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION these requirements wi frame the specifics of the management system being deveoped. The reevant reguatory requirements can be compied in a Waste Lega Compiance Register or integrated within the overa EHS management system, if the faciity has deveoped one. Reguar reviews shoud be carried out to ensure that any reevant changes in egisation are captured, that any necessary permits or icences are kept up to date and that faciity operations remain in compiance. Once the waste management practices required to ensure compiance with the aw have been identified, the faciity can then aso define additiona standards, procedures, equipment and externa providers to deveop a waste management system that fuy meets a company objectives and externa stakehoder requirements. The refinery s waste management system shoud ensure that personne who hande waste and/or carry out waste management activities are trained to perform their tasks in a safe and environmentay responsibe way. Key tasks and procedures for managing waste safey and minimizing impacts on the environment shoud be documented and maintained to ensure that they remain up to date. In some jurisdictions, personne performing specific tasks may be required to obtain specific quaifications demonstrating competency in waste management. Personne shoud be trained prior to their potentia exposure to waste management activities, and shoud receive periodic foow-up training, to ensure continuous improvement of waste management and to prevent damage to heath and environmenta quaity. Permanent records of training in waste management activities shoud be retained for auditing purposes. Performance indicators appropriate to the design of the system impemented at the faciity shoud be deveoped and stewarded to verify that the system is functioning as intended and to highight opportunities for further improvement. 5

10 IPIECA Sources of waste Petroeum refineries generate four broad categories of soid waste: process waste; maintenance and operationa wastes; commercia waste, incuding food wastes; and, if a medica faciity is on-site, medica waste. Refineries produce industria process wastes that are inherent to the activities they carry out in the handing and processing of crude petroeum and petroeum products. In addition, commercia wastes produced are typica of those produced by an office or warehouse, and usuay consist of ow-density non-hazardous waste materias, primariy packaging materias and waste office suppies. On-site food service operations may produce a food waste stream, whie on-site cinics may produce sma amounts of medica waste. These broad categories can be broken down more discretey as shown in Tabe 1. Virtuay every refinery has a wastewater treatment pant to process hydrocarboncontaining wastewater through one or more steps of primary and secondary treatment. Refinery wastewater treatment and the wastes produced from it are covered in detai in the reated IPIECA document, Petroeum refining water/wastewater use and management. The quantity of each waste stream shoud be determined either directy in mass terms (e.g kiograms) or as a voume with the specific gravity or density of the materia identified to aow for conversion to mass fow. The period of generation shoud aso be recorded so that panning of recycing, disposa or treatment can take into account the continuous or intermittent nature of the generation of the waste as we as the overa quantity requiring management. Tabe 1 Typica petroeum refinery waste Waste type Process Maintenance and operationa waste Commercia Description Oi handing wastes oiy and non-oiy sudge from tanks and process equipment (often characterized as hazardous) and sudge from wastewater treatments Oi processing wastes spent cataysts, off-specification materia, spent chemicas, unsaeabe by-products, and waste treatment by-products (often hazardous) Construction/demoition waste Residues from exchanger and equipment ceaning Expired product sampes Spent sovents/paint and associated cothing, rags Spi cean-up materias and contaminated sois Used batteries, mercury amps etc. Packaging materias uncontaminated Packaging materias contaminated Office waste (e.g. waste paper, waste office suppies, etc.) non-hazardous Sma quantities of hazardous materias (e.g. batteries, mercury amps, fuorescent bubs, asbestos-containing materias, etc.) Food scraps Grease from cooking Medica Sma amounts of medica waste (if refinery has on-site cinic) 6

11 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Process waste Refineries vary in size and compexity, are generay geared to processing a particuar sate of crude and, to a certain degree, aso refect the demand for specific products in their oca market. The typica unit operations in a refinery are designed to convert crude oi, using physica and chemica conversion processes, into a combination of fue products, ubricating base ois and bitumen for marketing and other intermediate products that are suppied to other faciities. A detaied discussion of the specific processes that exist within typica petroeum refineries is provided in the Annex on page 25, with a focus on the waste streams that are significant for each process. Regardess of the fact that severa of the waste streams end up being managed together, it is first important to understand each discreety so that waste minimization opportunities are fuy identified. Most of the unit operations discussed in the Annex pertain to typica refineries, but not a are present in every refinery or configured as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 Refinery processes and categories 7

12 IPIECA Tabe 2 Categories of refinery waste Category Oi impacted wastes, e.g. sudge, tars Waste cataysts Waste gas treating soutions Specifics Voatie and/or semi-voatie organic compounds potentiay incuding benzene, touene, ethy benzene, xyene (BTEX) Liquid hydrocarbons/tars Heavy metas dependent upon composition of crude oi being processed, but may incude nicke, vanadium, ead, arsenic, chromium Metas associated with the catayst itsef dependent upon specific catayst and service, but may incude nicke, cobat, and moybdenum; heavy metas dependent upon composition of crude oi being processed as described above Meta suphides Dependent upon the treating process used, but may incude sodium hydroxide, hydrogen suphide, pheno, amines The actua substances present in refinery wastes wi depend upon the combination of the individua process technoogy used and the specific crude ois being processed. Tabe 2 provides genera guidance for the types of substances that may be present in refinery wastes. Maintenance and operationa waste Petroeum refineries periodicay produce quantities of wastes that are significant due to their voume, hazardous characteristics not reated to hydrocarbon processing, or because they are of a nature that makes them incompatibe with direct disposa to municipa andfi. A wide variety of wastes may be generated during routine maintenance, turnarounds and other activities reated to ongoing operations. These incude: Construction/demoition waste: externa service providers can recyce a arge amount of this materia, if it can be confirmed that there are no specific hazardous materias present. Uncontaminated scrap meta is particuary vauabe, and broken concrete pieces can be recyced as semi-vauabe waste that can be used in road buiding and as aggregate in the production of new concrete. Abrasive basting residue can aso be used as a repacement for aggregate in cement and concrete. Asbestos-containing materias: these require specia handing and packaging to ensure that there is no escape of fibres before being deposited in a secure andfi. The disposa of asbestos shoud be handed with care, and shoud be propery separated so that it is not mixed with other hazardous or nonhazardous waste. Loca requirements shoud be investigated, and panning for the disposa of this type of waste, incuding the use of an appropriate service provider for remova of the materia, is essentia prior to the generation of the waste. Expired product sampes: these can often be recyced to the refinery sop oi system, with the containers recyced through ceaning, or crushed and disposed of with other oi contaminated debris, such as rags and persona protective equipment (PPE). Spent sovents/paint: these wastes are best minimized by simpy using the sovents and paints unti the containers are empty of a iquid materia as ong as egitimate uses for the materias exist. Spent sovents can often be 8

13 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION recyced/recaimed/re-distied, often by thirdparty service providers, into fresh sovents for reuse. Where iquid paint or sovent requires disposa, it is often bended into waste fues and burned for energy recovery, or incinerated. Spi cean-up materias and contaminated sois or other media: this incudes contaminated rags, cothing and contaminated adsorbents that do not contain a free hydrocarbon phase. Contaminated materias that contain a free hydrocarbon phase shoud be drained and/or otherwise pre-treated to recover the free hydrocarbons prior to disposa. These wastes are typicay packed in a manner that minimizes voume, and are disposed of off-site through incineration or to andfi, either as hazardous or non-hazardous waste depending on the nature of the spied materia or contamination. Medica waste Sma amounts of medica waste wi be produced at refineries that have an on-site medica cinic. Where medica waste is produced that woud be cassified as hazardous, or which may have a specia designation according to oca reguations, management of the materia shoud compy with those requirements. These wastes shoud be stored in specific ocations for this purpose, with identification and access contro. The waste storage faciity (or container) shoud aow the adequate containment of waste, ceaning and disinfection. Disposing of medica waste in cooperation with a oca hospita or other appropriate medica waste faciity can be a successfu approach. Commercia waste For commercia waste, food waste from kitchens and non-hazardous industria waste, waste minimization options can often be easiy identified, eading to waste reduction, increased recycing and cost savings. Key to reaizing these benefits wi be the avaiabiity of externa providers of recycing services for the recoverabe materias, and the performance of the coection/segregation system. Commercia waste such as used batteries, mercury amps and fuorescent bubs can often be returned to manufacturers or suppiers for recycing, or sent to commerciay avaiabe recycing faciities that are abe to recover the mercury or other vauabe meta components. In countries where this is not possibe, these can be pre-treated for voume reduction and encapsuation of hazardous materias before disposa to andfi. It is important to foow appicabe disposa reguations. 9

14 IPIECA Waste characterization Every waste stream generated by the refinery shoud be characterized sufficienty to aow for proper reguatory cassification, and the identification of any physica characteristics and/or chemica constituents that coud generate a safety or environmenta risk whie in storage or during transport or processing of the waste, as we as any environmenta or heath effects resuting from its disposa. In most cases the duty of care for safe disposa does not usuay end at the refinery gate: responsibiity for safe disposa continues through to the point of fina disposa, and off-site faciities shoud be evauated to ensure that they are operated in an environmentay responsibe manner, and in compiance with their nationa/oca reguations and internationa norms where oca reguations do not exist. Cassification of wastes may need to be performed in accordance with reguatory requirements that sometimes ist specific waste streams of concern and prescribe treatment or disposa methods that are acceptabe for the wastes. More often, however, wastes are cassified by properties such as physica state (soid, iquid or gas) and hazardous characteristics (fammabe, ignitabe, toxic, corrosive, etc.) to determine how they shoud be handed and disposed of. Characterization requirements shoud therefore be identified for each waste stream on a case-by-case basis. Where samping is necessary to determine the properties of the waste, procedures shoud be impemented and documented to ensure that any handing of the waste is first assessed for potentia hazards that may be reasonaby foreseen, and the samping activity managed to prevent risk of injury or exposure to hazards. Sampes shoud be taken to ensure that they are fuy representative of the waste. Wastes may not be homogenous, for exampe separation into ayers may have occurred, so sampes shoud be taken from different depths within the waste wherever possibe. In cases where the different parts of the waste represented by these sampes cannot physicay be separated for disposa, the sampes can be combined to provide a composite sampe for testing. Physica properties of wastes shoud be determined, where appropriate, to aow for the panning of appropriate transport and treatment. The characteristics of the waste materia, such as the physica state (soid/iquid), partice size and percentage of water or oi content, are often important to determine the most efficient means to hande a waste stream. Appropriate anaytica characterization of waste materias may be necessary to identify and/or confirm whether the waste exhibits hazardous properties, as we as for determining suitabe management options, such as recycing/reuse opportunities, or the eve of treatment that may be required. Chemica anayses for hazardous voaties that may be reeased in processing are often performed. Anayses for eachabe metas and toxic organics are typicay performed on wastes being sent to andfi, to determine the type of andfi that is abe to accept the waste. In some cases, conducting a more detaied characterization can reduce overa waste disposa costs, for exampe by confirming the absence of any hazardous properties and therefore enabing ess expensive disposa options to be considered. Characterization shoud be done using accepted industry methods that are documented at the faciity so that they can be communicated accuratey and transparenty to those that require the information. Again, the parameters measured and the anaytica methods used wi, to some extent, depend on the categories of waste segregation and the fina disposa route in each case. They may aso depend on the pre-treatment options avaiabe in the refinery, e.g. the avaiabiity of sudge dewatering equipment. 10

15 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Typicay, anaysis wi incude, but is not imited to: physica characteristics (e.g. density, specific gravity, % soids, ph, fash point, oss on ignition); heavy metas (incuding organic ead if ead akys are, or were, used on-site); asbestos (e.g. from insuation); haogenated waste (e.g. poychorinated biphenys (PCBs) from transformer oi); pyrophoric materias (e.g. iron suphides from heat exchanger bunde descaing); tota organic carbon (TOC); and oi and grease content. In the absence of oca reguations specifying parameters for anaysis and characterizing wastes, the inks beow may provide a guide to cassification parameters of hazardous wastes, as appicabe in the USA and the European Union: United States Environmenta Protection Agency: characteristic.htm European Union (Annex III of Directive 2008/98/EC): In addition to assisting in the cassification of waste streams the resuts of this anaysis wi aso determine whether the waste stream is necessariy cassified as hazardous in accordance with oca reguations. 11

16 IPIECA Waste minimization The process of waste minimization shoud be incorporated into the waste management system of every faciity, to identify ways that waste can be prevented from being generated in the first pace and to reduce the amount of waste that is generated where practicabe. Waste may need to be treated to reduce its potentia impact upon disposa, by reducing its intrinsic hazards (e.g. toxicity, corrosiveness, fammabiity, etc.). Activities that can ead to the reduction of wastes and their hazards are generay differentiated, and are defined by the terminoogy isted in Tabe 3. To determine which method of waste management is the most technicay feasibe and economicay beneficia in comparison to other methods, an iterative process of information gathering, anaysis, impementation and measurement of resuts shoud be competed with respect to every waste stream that is produced, as shown in Figure 3. For a faciities, the first step in the minimization process is to identify significant waste streams with respect to voumes and cost, and aso to identify those that present significant risk to peope, assets and the environment. Streams identified shoud be quantified and characterized as much as possibe based on existing data and information. After a basic understanding of the waste streams has been deveoped (Figure 4), the avaiabe management options shoud be identified with input from a team of peope drawn from faciity operations, maintenance, the EHS function and any avaiabe waste management contractors, as appropriate. These options can then be evauated on the basis of expected benefits in the reduction of risk to peope and the environment in comparison to their cost and technica feasibiity at the ocation, taking into account experiences with the options at other ocations. Options worth pursuing from the cost/benefit anaysis can then be impemented through changes in process or procedures, instaation of equipment where required, or engagement of externa service providers. Part of any Tabe 3 Waste minimization terms Figure 3 Waste minimization process Term Reduce Reuse Description A reduction in the quantity or toxicity of a waste stream at its source To make secondary use of a waste in a manner that repaces another raw materia and eiminates a quantity of waste Recyce To process a waste stream into a new raw materia or recover the origina raw materia, typicay with some oss as another waste Treatment Disposa Processing of a waste stream to reduce its voume and/or toxicity, often producing a distinct waste stream of its own Fina pacement of a waste materia in a ocation that is meant to be its permanent repository 12

17 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Figure 4 Input and output schematic impementation intended to minimize a waste stream shoud be an improvement of the means to quantify the waste stream. This wi aow the actua reduction achieved to be quantified, as changes to waste management practices are often made on the basis of assumptions or rough estimates of a waste, since there may not have been any previous incentive to estabish an accurate means of waste measurement. Effectivey, if it is not measured, it can t be minimized. Finay, after the change in waste management has been in operation for a period of time, data shoud be coected to verify the voume and characteristics of the waste foowing the change, and to confirm that the benefits identified prior to the change have been achieved, aong with identification of any unexpected negative aspects of the change. This information becomes the basis for the next iteration of evauation of the waste within the minimization cyce. A waste streams shoud be periodicay evauated for continua improvement of the management practices as technoogy advances, and as the avaiabiity of externa services providers and other factors (such as ega requirements) change over time. A key concept that shoud be embraced when adopting a waste minimization strategy is internaization. Internaization invoves approaching a wastes as assets that shoud be managed ike any other product or raw materia, particuary considering economics. This can be achieved by appying an economic vaue to waste minimization through key performance indicators (KPIs), setting audit procedures, accounting practices and other business processes. Wastes may be assigned a negative vaue in terms of their cost for accounting purposes, so that reducing them is recognized as a goa aong with other targets that are expressed in monetary vaues. It is aso important to communicate throughout the organization the achievements of company personne in minimizing waste and any associated benefits gained, e.g. reduced 13

18 IPIECA environmenta impact or cost savings. Many waste minimization programmes are utimatey proven successfu or not at the point where waste generators are required to begin the waste segregation process, record initia vaues of a waste materia, and contro housekeeping practices. Therefore, gaining the motivation of these personne is a key objective in a waste minimization strategy. The training sha ensure that a personne invoved understand and are abe to perform their waste management, contro or operating duties in accordance with estabished company poicies, procedures and appicabe aws/reguations. The goa of an ongoing training programme shoud be to deveop awareness and continuous improvement among a empoyees, to enabe them to recognize and understand the impact of their performance on waste management programmes as we to prevent damage to heath and environmenta quaity. Where faciities produce recycabe streams, the contract conditions for transport and subsequent use of those streams shoud be evauated to make sure that the faciity gains any appropriate economic benefit wherever possibe. Aso, a faciity that is successfu in getting personne to carry out waste segregation shoud ensure that its contracts for transport/waste management ensure that service providers coect segregated recycabe materia separatey from other wastes to maintain and enhance empoyee motivation. Reguar cean-up of work areas enabes the identification of sma spis and waste that has not been propery disposed of. Other genera practices that appy to a types of waste generation and management incude: draining raw materia vesses and process equipment fuy; reguar maintenance of equipment to prevent waste generation; minimizing the use of ceaning chemicas, taking care when weighing and transferring chemicas to minimize spis, and seecting the east hazardous chemicas that are suited to the appication; use of dry sweep approaches rather than water wash (minimizes wastewater management); minimizing the amount of soids entering refinery process sewers, to reduce waste generation and maintenance costs associated with ceaning, remova and disposa of soids/sudge from the wastewater treatment system; street sweeping to minimize the amount of soids aowed to enter the sewer is one key activity; organization of storage and ogistics activities to prevent waste generation; and panning of major maintenance to minimize disturbance at the refinery wastewater treatment pant, and making appropriate use of the treatment provided by the wastewater treatment pant for aqueous wastes. Waste documentation Genera practices and housekeeping A good hoistic approach to waste management incudes examining genera practices to prevent waste production throughout the faciity. Attention to good housekeeping is important for many of the functions within a refinery (process operation, maintenance, administration, etc). A system is required to document waste generation and to communicate chain-ofcustody transfers between parties invoved in the waste management process. A documentation system aso identifies the fina disposition of wastes for communication to government reguators, and provides a due diigence demonstration in ega jurisdictions where strict iabiity is appied to waste 14

19 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Figure 5 Waste documentation process generators. A documentation system is an essentia eement for a faciities and shoud be made mandatory in contracts with third-party waste management service providers. Documentation can be in either hard copy or eectronic format. The documentation system shoud keep a step-by-step record of the process of waste disposa, and shoud aso record the quantity of the waste as chain-of-custody transfer occurs. An exampe of a five-docket documentation system is shown in the Figure 5. In the five-docket records system shown in the figure, a five-part muticooured form is fied out, in order, by the waste generation, transportation, treatment, recyce and disposa parties invoved in the operation. A unique record is generated for each waste stream being managed at a faciity. Athough the record can be used by the generator to document the amounts of waste recyced, treated and disposed of on-site at its faciity, the form is primariy designed to record the characteristics and quantities of waste that are transferred off-site for recycing, treatment or disposa. The documentation process iustrated in Figure 5 takes pace as foows: The generator of the waste competes the first section of the form and removes the top copy (1). The remainder of the form is then forwarded, together with the waste (and with any other manifesting requirements) to the transportation company. The transporter then adds reevant detais to the form and retains one copy (2), before transferring the remainder of the form, together with custody of the waste, to the next party (the off-site treatment/fina disposa faciity). The off-site waste disposa faciity adds the fina disposa detais to the form and retains one copy (3). The remaining two copies are passed to the government reguator (4) and the generator of the waste (5). The government reguator typicay requires that copies of a documents be maintained in an auditabe form by those that hod them, and may specify a minimum document retention period. 15

20 IPIECA The generator records on the form information that is pertinent to the safe handing, treatment and disposa of the waste, incuding to whom and where the waste is being transferred. The faciity receiving the waste wi confirm acceptance and faciity ocation, aong with the manner of recyce/treatment/disposa appied, and wi aso confirm the type and quantities of the waste received. The waste record may aso typicay reference other reevant forms, such as safety information reevant to substances contained in the waste, or records of anayses that are important to those who require heath and safety information regarding handing of the materia, and those that require comprehensive information on the recycing, treatment or disposa of the waste. Each transporter wi insert their company detais and contact information on the waste record, and wi confirm the quantities handed. The waste generator shoud maintain a og of a wastes produced and transferred for recycing, treatment or disposa. In its simpest form the og can consist of a hard copy fie containing the retained copies of the waste transfer documents themseves; aternativey, the information can be entered into an eectronic database. The og can be updated as information confirming transfer and fina disposition is received from the other parties in the waste management chain. A waste og can aso be used to record waste types and quantities in on-site storage, which can be usefu information to hep safey manage the storage of wastes with potentiay hazardous properties. A waste og can aso provide a permanent record of on-site recycing/treatment/disposa, for due diigence and any government reguatory reporting. 16

21 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Storage, treatment and disposa A waste streams shoud be evauated, as described in the sections above, for waste minimization opportunities (reduction, reuse or recycing). However, after those opportunities have been expoited, a waste stream wi typicay be managed on-site or off-site through a combination of storage, treatment and disposa methods as described beow. For wastes intended to be managed on-site at the refinery, waste handing and equipment operating procedures shoud be deveoped and documented. This wi hep to ensure compiance with any appicabe egisation, and to minimize the risks of exposure of personne to hazardous substances and the potentia for contamination of soi and groundwater. Genera recommendations incude: Ensure any on-site handing, weathering or other treatment of wastes is performed ony in designated areas and where equipment and procedures are in pace to imit or contro empoyee exposures to acceptabe eves. Consider the potentia to contaminate soi and groundwater when designing and operating any waste handing or treatment faciities, on-site pits and ponds or other waste storage areas. Monitor any on-site waste handing, storage, treatment and disposa operations to identify and prevent any potentia contamination of soi and groundwater. Storage Storage requirements for wastes may be defined in nationa or oca aws and reguations. Storage of waste materias for periods of up to one year is considered short-term; however there may be reguatory definitions that define the period differenty. Short-term storage is used to accumuate quantities of waste materia that are more economicay recyced, treated or disposed of when transported as fu vehice oads, or to aow for recycing, treatment or disposa in operations that operate intermittenty. Short-term storage can take pace in tanks, drums, skips, sacks or pies, depending on the waste materia. Waste storage areas shoud generay be designated as such in the faciity waste management system, and shoud be indicated on a faciity ayout drawing. Their capacity, waste types to be stored, and operating practices shoud aso be described. Access to waste storage areas shoud be controed and documented to the extent that is necessary to: (a) aow for an inventory of wastes to be competed as required; (b) to avoid uncontroed accumuation of wastes in the faciity; and (c) to avoid tampering and unnecessary human or environmenta exposure. Records of waste transfers into and out of storage areas shoud be kept in the refinery s waste og. Containers used to store waste shoud be suitabe for purpose and compatibe with the wastes to be stored; for exampe, it is essentia that the waste does not react with, or pressurize, the container to the extent that its structura integrity may be compromised. Containers storing waste that woud contaminate the soi or groundwater if spied due to damage shoud be stored on impermeabe surfaces. Short-term storage of waste shoud take into consideration the next step in the ife cyce of the waste to eiminate doube handing of the materia, where possibe. Storage containers in which the waste can aso be managed during treatment or disposa are idea. Storing wastes in buk, where possibe, is preferabe to using smaer containers because it can reduce or eiminate the need for handing, and aso avoid the need to dispose of, or recaim, the waste containers afterwards. When waste is stored in pies, consideration shoud be given to having an engineered waste 17

22 IPIECA management area with impermeabe hardstand areas or concrete pads. Pied waste storage makes it easier to hande the waste using equipment such as front-end oaders, whie storage of pied waste on a concrete pad aows the waste materia to be handed without the risk of it becoming contaminated with soi; this coud increase the voume of waste for disposa and potentiay ead to the treatment or disposa methods being ess effective. Engineered storage areas shoud be designed to prevent contamination of soi within the immediate and/or adjacent areas with contaminants that may each from the waste. An engineered storage area can aso incorporate bunding and run-off coection to prevent contamination of stormwater or soi adjacent to the storage area. If contamination of the soi does occur due to spied hazardous waste, the contaminated soi shoud itsef be treated as hazardous waste (or as per host country reguations). Stored waste shoud be kept covered when waste is not being added to the storage container. This prevents dust and other emissions to air (incuding potentiay hazardous emissions and odours) from having an impact on areas inside the refinery or on neighbouring properties. Wastes shoud not be stored near drains uness suitabe secondary containment precautions (e.g. a suice gate) are in pace to prevent spis from reaching the drains. Stored waste shoud be identified with cear abes and signage that describe the type of materia being stored. This shoud provide adequate hazard communication to personne that wi be responsibe for handing or managing the waste. Labeing typicay incudes the chemica names of the materia, the type of waste (hazardous or non-hazardous), the date that storage of the materia commenced, and communication of a hazards appropriate to the waste in question. Labes shoud be attached to each container at an easiy visibe ocation, and shoud be sufficienty durabe that they are abe to remain egibe for the period during which they wi be required. A og of the waste stored in each container shoud be kept in case any of the abes or markings fade due to sunight, are washed off by rain, or become unreadabe for any other reason. Marking each waste container using a wax crayon wi create a permanent identifier which can then be recorded in the og to ensure the contents of the waste container are traceabe. Mixing different types of stored wastes shoud generay be avoided. When wastes are mixed, they typicay need to be managed according to the characterization of the more hazardous materia. Chemicay or physicay incompatibe wastes shoud not be stored in the same ocation. When ong-term storage of waste is required, e.g. due to the ack of suitabe recycing, treatment or disposa faciities, the storage faciity shoud examine the stored waste at an estabished frequency, e.g. annuay or every two years. Specificay, the ocation of the waste containers shoud be reconfirmed, and the condition of containers and abeing shoud be examined to ensure that they remain suitabe for ong-term storage. At the same time, the storage faciity shoud ensure that the stored waste remains compiant with any appicabe reguatory requirements reating to ong-term storage of waste materias. The faciity shoud aso revisit 18

23 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION those processes that generate intractabe wastes that have no oca recycing, treatment or disposa options, with a view to eiminating or minimizing the production of such wastes. Waste treatment Waste treatment can be undertaken to decrease the mass or fow rate of the waste, or improve its characteristics (e.g. reduce its hazardous properties) or to enabe the waste to be recyced or disposed of more safey, and in some cases to reduce disposa costs. Treatment requirements for wastes may be defined in nationa or oca aws and reguations. Treatment techniques typicay used in reation to refinery waste streams can invove physica, chemica or bioogica processes; these are described beow. Physica treatment of refinery wastes Physica treatment processes typicay used on refinery wastes incude the foowing: In-ine fitering: a process for increasing the soids content of a waste stream and reducing water content. This can be ess effective for treating oi, which tends to bind to, and cog, the fiter materia. Fiters shoud then be wasted. Setting up a fiter system that eaves most of the oi in the fiter sudge increases the heat content of the waste fiters; this is an important consideration if incineration is the utimate disposa method. Fiter presses: a process typicay appied to sudge for dewatering purposes to reduce waste transportation costs. Separation of iquids into phases foowing fitering is often possibe once the stabiizing soids have been removed. Cacium carbonate sudge can be a usefu fiter aid when oiy sudge is being processed in a fiter press. As with in-ine fitering, setting up a fiter press system that eaves most of the oi on the sudge side wi increase the heat content of the waste, an important consideration if incineration is the utimate disposa method. Bet fiter presses: these are often used for dewatering secondary effuent treatment sudges that have higher water content and ow oi concentrations. The feed is typicay mixed with a foccuant or fiter aid prior to being pumped onto the fiter bet. Centrifuges: decanter centrifuges with a horizonta scro are typicay used for refinery sudge with oi contents of 10% or greater and soids content of up to 25%. Having a continuous, we homogenized feed of sudge is an important operating consideration. Hydrocycones: these are usefu in the separation of arge voumes of oi and water where space for treatment is imited or the oi quantity is high. They are aso usefu in separating catayst partices from support materia, such as sand or cay. Drying beds: these are used to remove the ast remains of water from sudge, or for treating a sudge that is not suited to another form of treatment. Drying beds can be operated at atmospheric conditions, or have heat appied to them, often in the form of steam cois. Sudge dryers: these are batch operated drum designs to which heat is appied and in which the sudge is turned over unti it is dry. Vapour from the drying sudge is aso often coected for treatment. Beds shoud be designed for easy appication and remova of sudge. Chemica treatment of refinery wastes Chemica processes that are often used to pretreat wastes incude the foowing: Soidification/chemica fixation: a process for making materia handing easier by transforming it from a fuid or semi-soid state into a soid state through the addition of materia that binds the waste together or chemicay fixes itsef to the waste, resuting in a more easiy managed materia. 19

24 IPIECA Stabiization: the conversion of waste to a chemicay stabe form of materia that wi resist eaching of contaminants from that materia when it is paced in a andfi. Stabiization is often achieved by the addition of materia which significanty changes the ph of the waste, foowed by mixing to form peets or a monoith of stabiized waste. Encapsuation: this process invoves the addition of a materia that wi coat the waste and bind to itsef to competey encose the waste within an impermeabe ayer of the encapsuating materia. This process is often competed using cement to form monoiths of encapsuated waste that are then sent to andfi. Bioogica treatment of refinery wastes Bioogica treatment of refinery waste uses microbia action to convert hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water at higher rates than woud otherwise occur naturay. Bioremediation or biocomposting can be appicabe to certain refinery wastes, particuary oi-impacted sois. The abiity to use these techniques wi depend on the content of oi that can be metaboized by bacteria, and on whether the waste contains concentrations of any other substances that can poison or sow down the bioogica reactions. A of the bioogica treatment options use naturay occurring soi bacteria to break down organic wastes under carefuy controed conditions. This type of bioogica treatment is fundamentay driven by two factors: it is competed in the iquid phase (where the bacteria ive) but it is significanty dependent on gas to iquid phase oxygen transfer rates. Important parameters for successfu bioogica degradation of waste materias incude: oi content; oxygen transfer; moisture content; ph; temperature; and trace nutrient concentrations. Use of bioogica treatment methods can require significant space for treatment and storage of materia, and may require reguatory approva or a specific permit to carry out this type of treatment. It is aso possibe to bioogicay treat some iquid-phase wastes in tank-based processes that can operate either aerobicay or anaerobicay. A detaied description of these waste treatment processes is outside the scope of this document. Waste disposa Fina disposa is meant to be a permanent repository for the waste from which it is not expected to return or be moved. It is typicay the responsibiity of the generator of a waste to ensure that the fina disposa method seected is safe and wi not resut in adverse impacts on the environment. Petroeum refinery waste materias can utimatey be disposed of in the foowing ways: andfi; incineration; and deep we injection. Landfi Landfis can exist on-site or off-site. They are typicay cassified by the type of waste that they can accept, such as municipa waste, construction waste, hazardous waste or industria non-hazardous waste. It is typica to use off-site andfis for fina disposa of refinery waste streams, but in some cases a andfi may be ocated inside the refinery perimeter, for exampe if no safe or environmentay suitabe options exist esewhere. Landfis are faciities specificay designed and engineered to contain the waste and prevent migration of the waste or any associated contaminants into the surrounding soi or groundwater. For andfis intended to contain 20

25 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION wastes with eachabe components, this is achieved by ining the base and sides of the andfi with an impermeabe membrane and, where possibe, ocating the andfi within an impermeabe geoogy (e.g. cay, non-fissured rock). To minimize water ingress, non-operating areas of the andfi may be capped with an impermeabe ayer, and surface water run-off from neighbouring and is diverted away from the andfi. Within the andfi, any water present (eachate) is contained or treated prior to discharge. Where the andfi aso accepts biodegradabe materia, coection systems to capture and use or safey dispose of methane gas produced as the materia decomposes in the andfi may be present. Incineration Waste incineration can be competed on-site or off-site. For the purposes of this guidance, incineration is considered to be any process that combusts waste materia in the presence of oxygen, with or without energy recovery. Refinery wastes with a high content of hydrocarbons, or fammabe wastes can aso provide a significant portion of the fue requirement for an incinerator. Waste incinerators can aso be the source of significant heat and energy recovery opportunities. Incinerators are controed by varying the amount of combustion air, temperature of combustion, residence time and mixing to carry out effective combustion. Incinerators come in many designs, each type of which is best suited to the disposa of specific types of wastes based on the parameters above. A incinerators generate soid ash and air emissions. A incinerators shoud have some form of air poution contro and a means of monitoring the performance of the combustion process, and poution contro equipment to verify that they compy with reguations and permits hed by the operator. During the waste characterization process, the concentrations of metaoids in ashes, such as As, Se and Hg, shoud be quantified in order to verify the imiting concentration for incineration, foowing standard aboratory procedures e.g. EPA SW 846. Deep we injection Injection of waste materias to deep formations through wes has historicay been aowed in a number of ocations. This method of utimate disposa uses injection wes to pace treated or untreated iquid waste into deep geoogic formations that demonstrate no potentia for migration of contaminants into potentia potabe water aquifers. A typica injection we woud be dried to more than 1000 m depth into a non-potabe, permeabe injection zone that is confined verticay by impermeabe rock. The outermost casing of the we woud be instaed to extend beow the base of any underground sources of drinking water and woud be cemented back to the surface to prevent contamination of any usefu aquifer. Whie deep we injection is a possibe route for disposa of some petroeum refinery waste materias, its use is currenty imited due to perceived risk and ong-term iabiity. Disposa by deep we injection shoud not be a preferred option in most cases and ony used if a other options have been thoroughy reviewed. For existing deep injection wes, use shoud be defined on the basis of the hoistic risk on a short- and ong-term basis. 21

26 IPIECA On-site treatment and disposa issues Risk management and economics wi argey determine the amount of on-site treatment and recycing, as we as the construction and use of any on-site disposa faciities. Key considerations when panning such faciities incude: the faciity s ocation in reation to other adjacent properties, popuation centres and environmentay sensitive areas; assessment of the site conditions, ocation, topography, and-use, soi quaity, hydrogeoogy, etc.; the expected ifetime of the faciity; the possibe future uses of the site; the need for reguatory agency permitting of treatment or disposa faciities; and management of the faciity both during its operation and foowing cosure to minimize potentia current or future risks to the environment. In many countries, government environmenta, heath and safety reguators require that a new faciities inside a petroeum refinery boundary, as we as significant changes to existing faciities, obtain a permit or icence to buid and/or operate them. This process is generay referred to as permitting. A singe authority or mutipe reguatory authorities may be invoved in the permitting process, depending on the ocation. Permitting may be handed at the oca, regiona or nationa eve, so research into the reguatory framework that appies to a particuar refinery shoud be competed eary in the process of determining whether or not waste treatment or disposa faciities are to be added. Permitting of a new waste management process at a refinery may be a reativey straightforward activity, or it may be extremey compex, time-consuming and costy, depending on the nature of the panned faciities and the existing reguatory framework. The cost of permitting shoud be factored into the cost of treatment or disposa faciities when comparing options, and the time required for the permitting process shoud be factored into the project schedue eary to avoid deays in projects and possibe additiona cost associated with deays. Panning for monitoring of the soi and groundwater at a refinery that intends to carry out waste disposa on-site shoud consider the instaation or expansion of the monitoring capabiities at the site. This wi ensure that there is a means to estabish the baseine condition of the soi and groundwater, as we as faciitate routine samping of the conditions as time goes on to ensure that contamination is not occurring as a resut of the waste disposa. If on-site andfis are used, care shoud be taken to ensure appropriate construction. The use of a detaied three-dimensiona record-keeping system is recommended to track the precise ocations at which specific waste streams are paced, to adequatey manage future iabiity issues that may arise. When evauating on-site waste faciity instaation, the costs invoved in the eventua shutdown and cean-up of these faciities according to oca government environment, heath and safety standards need to be considered. Where significant cosure activities are required, the additiona cosure activities required for we-designed and operated waste treatment and disposa faciities at a refinery are unikey to represent a significant additiona burden; however, on-site waste management faciities, in particuar andfis, can require ongterm care, monitoring and maintenance commitments. It is important to note that government authorities may require cosure activities to begin when a waste management activity is discontinued at a site, even if the rest of the refinery operations continue to operate. In particuar, this woud appy to andfis that are fied to capacity and cosed. 22

27 PETROLEUM REFINERY WASTE MANAGEMENT AND MINIMIZATION Off-site treatment and disposa contractor issues Most petroeum refineries use contractors to manage the transport, recovery, recycing, treatment or disposa of waste at third-party faciities off-site. The seection of contractors shoud incude a vaidation that the contractor hods appropriate icences for its activities, and can fufi their obigations for documentation of chain-of-custody transfers as we as addressing any environmenta, heath and safety risk posed by the waste materia. An inspection of a contract faciities that carry out waste treatment or disposa is recommended (see the foowing section on Waste site assessment and audit.) Contract documentation shoud require that appropriate icences are hed for the activity, and shoud ceary communicate chain-ofcustody transfers that take pace. The petroeum refinery shoud aso ensure that a appropriate waste transfer documentation is produced and retained for a wastes sent for off-site waste management in ine with its waste management system. Off-site disposa of waste to andfi is a widey used option for fina disposa of many wastes where no other option higher on the minimization hierarchy is practica or economicay feasibe. Refineries that are ocated where no acceptabe andfi faciities are avaiabe for use may choose to form consortiums with other industria and commercia faciities, and with the government, to estabish or improve faciities to a suitabe standard. safety hazards of the waste during transport. This incudes safe containment, signage, spi prevention and contro preparedness, vehice and driver competency requirements and training. Contactor faciities and their performance shoud be inspected periodicay, at reguar intervas or as contracts are amended or renewed. Assessment of contractor faciities is covered in the foowing section on Waste site assessment and audit. Transport contractors are aso widey used by petroeum refineries to transport wastes to recycing, treatment and disposa faciities. The seection of transport contractors shoud aso incude verification that the transport contractor hods appropriate icences for its activities, and can fufi their obigations for documentation of chain-of-custody transfers and manage any environmenta, heath and 23