A chemical production facility was challenged by a highly odorous, very stable emulsified oil and water stream. Odors from this small effluent stream were a major source of complaints within the community.
The stream contained hydrogen sulfide and numerous mercaptan compounds that volatilized quickly through the conveyance system. Oil water separators were unable to remove sufficient amounts of oil from the stream due to the emulsion’s stability. The AOTech process coupled with an emulsion breaker allowed the oil water separator to perform as designed removing much of the up to 5 wt/wt% organic content. The effluent stream contained no hydrogen sulfide and had a mercaptan reduction of greater than 90% eliminating odor complaints associated with this stream.
