Partial oxidation solution for sulfidic caustic

Hydrocarbon processing facilities that utilize caustic must contend with the caustic effluents that are generated by these processes.

Caustic management as well as effluent treating and disposal are areas of growing interest and concern. Spent caustic disposal costs, especially those incurred by waste hauling, are expected to continue to increase. Unfortunately, the excessive pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) of sulfidic caustic can often prohibit direct re-use in process and easy disposal.

However, the American Oil & Gas Sulfide Oxidation Process provides a viable solution for refiners to manage this caustic stream that enables disposal of this stream within the refinery battery limits.

American Oil & Gas’s Sulfide Oxidation Process can be used to convert the waste sulfidic caustic stream to a low pH effluent with reduced BOD/COD characteristics that can allow it to be handled within the refinery water treatment facility.

The process offers several benefits:

• Low operating and investment costs: The mild operating conditions employed by this process minimize utility requirements and ensure that costly exotic metallurgies are not required.
• Minimal additional treating and disposal requirements. The final product has a near neutral pH and it COD is reduced by 50%, as compared to the feed, prior to dilution, thus making it much easier to handle in downstream treatment facilities.
• No H2S liberation. Once the conversion is complete, H2S cannot be released under any conditions used in this process.