tailieunhanh - THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL

In many developed nations, significant progress has been made in reducing direct discharges of pollutants into water bodies, primarily through increased treatment of industrial wastewater before it is discharged. An OECD report found that in member countries in the past several decades, “industrial discharges of heavy metals and persistent chemicals have been reduced by 70-to-90 percent or more in most cases” (OECD 2006). In developing countries, on the other hand, more than 70 percent of industrial wastes are not treated before being discharged into water (UN- Water Statistics). Still, developed nations often discharge more industrial pollution into water bodies on a. | Chapter 14 ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL Paul R. Robinson 1 Eli E. Shaheen 2 and Esber I. Shaheen3 1. PQ Optimization Services 3418 Clear Water Park Drive Katy TX 77450 2. International Institute of Technology Inc. 830 Wall Street Joplin MO 64801 3. In memorium 1. WHY CONTROL POLLUTION The best-selling book Technology of Environmental Pollution Control by Esber I. Shaheen 1 serves as the primary technical reference for this chapter. While addressing the question What Is Life Margulis and Sagan2 remind us that every species of organism produces wastes that are incompatible with its own existence. As humans living on an ever-more-crowded planet our main reason for abating pollution is self-preservation. Observing nature tells that that some day if we don t control it our own waste will kill us. 2. POLLUTION FROM PETROLEUM PROCESSING This section describes the predominant gaseous liquid and solid pollutants generated by the petroleum industry. It also explains why these pollutants can be harmful. Section 5 of this chapter describes selected pollution-control regulations and Section 6 discusses technology for abating these pollutants. Particulate Matter The main sources of air pollution from petroleum refineries are listed in Table 1. Refineries can be significant sources of particulate matter PM which can irritate the respiratory tract. PM is especially harmful when it is associated with sulfur and nitrogen oxides SOx and NOx . 395 396 Robinson Shaheen and Shaheen Table 1. Main Sources of Refinery Air Pollution Source PM SO2 CO VOC NOx Fluid catalytic cracking FCC units x x x x x Coking units x x x x x Compressor engines x x x x Vapor recovery and flare systems x x x x Vacuum distillation unit and condensers x Sulfur recovery units Waste water treatment plants x x x x Boilers and process heaters Storage tanks x x x x PM particulate matter SO2 sulfur dioxide CO carbon monoxide VOC volatile organic compounds NOx nitric oxide NO and nitrogen dioxide NO2 Most .