Reduction of VOC's of Petrochemical and Refinery Wastewater

Volatile organic compounds in wastewater of chemical industries are major pollutants. In some cases it is desirable to transfer the VOC's from water to gas phase and then destroy them in gas phase. In this project the effects of different operating parameters on the efficiency of removal of VOC's are studied. Model compounds, synthetic wastewater and industrial wastewater are used in the pilot scale separation unit.

Removal of Air Contaminants (VOC's) by Catalytic Oxidation

Volatile organic compounds in gas phase can be oxidized at low temperature using suitable catalysts. In this project both industrial and prepared supported catalysts are used for destruction of VOC's in gas phase using model compounds and synthetic mixtures. The effects of operation parameter on the performance of the catalytic unit are studied.

Removal of Air Contaminants (VOC's) by Ozone

Some volatile organic compounds can be oxidized with ozone at relatively mild operating conditions using suitable catalysts and solid supports. In this project the effects of operating conditions and type of solid support/catalyst on the performance of VOC destruction are studied using various model compounds and synthetic gas stream.

Using ozone for destruction of organic pollutants in industrial wastewater.

Some organic pollutants in industrial wastewater are difficult or impossible to remove by conventional methods. In this project ozone with and without catalyst is used for removal of pollutants in waste water. The effects of operation conditions and synergetic effects of UV and hydrogen peroxide on the efficiency of destruction are studied using synthetic wastewater. Treatability tests are performed with industrial wastewater in batch or flow mode in the pilot system to obtain design parameters for scale- up purposes.

Removal of Air Contaminants (VOC's) by Biofiltration

Biofilters are fixed bed reactors which utilize living organisms for destruction of VOC's in gas phase. A well designed biofilter under proper operating conditions is in ideal method for removal of VOC's in some specific applications. In this project the effects of operating conditions on the performance of biofilter pilot reactors are studied for destruction of VOC's in gas phase using both model compounds and synthetic polluted gas streams.

Anaerobic treatment of wastewater

Anaerobic reactors have some advantages on conventional aerobic systems for treatment of some high strength industrial wastewater. In this project, pilot scale hybrid anaerobic (hybrid of UASB and anaerobic filter) reactors are used for treatment of industrial wastewater of meat and dairy industries. The effects of operating parameters on the performance of reactors are studied.