Oil slime processing by means of low temperature pyrolysis in FORTAN plants

    As a result of intensive oil extraction, oil refinery, industrial activity of mankind annually millions of tons of oil slime appear which is permanently generated and is one of the principal sources of ecological problems. In spite of the achievements of technical progress the existing technologies of utilization and processing such wastes economically are not profitable and mostly dangerous. Oil slime waste is usually put into the special containers and buried in the ground, in the bottoms of the lakes, seas, oceans. These containers are becoming depressurized along with the time and all toxic substances come to the surrounding environment- atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere adversely influencing on flora and fauna. There are a lot of examples when oil slime waste is placed in the illegal sumps or is kept in the backyard of the firms in the open air. Coming to the soils oil slime makes them unusable.

    Only few companies are looking for the possible innovative ways of oil slime waste managing. Composition and physical properties of used and contaminated oils which are called oil slimes can vary depending on the type of a source. All oil slimes contain water and solid impurities of a large and small diameter. As a rule they form a resistant emulsion which doesn’t stratify. It makes the process of separation more difficult and many standard methods of how to process the oil slimes are not at all effective.

    The filtering of oil slimes through the press divides them into 2 parts: separates the impurities from the liquid component. This process has the low throughput and moreover it doesn’t solve the problem of filtered materials utilization and water separation.

    Sedimentation is a slow and ineffective process of oil slime waste managing because it requires the large place for sumps and large quantities of additional reagents for the analysis and separation of the substances.

    Burning of the oil slimes together with the water and impurities is an expensive process. The hydrocarbon components are irrevocably destroyed at burning emitting the toxic substances to the atmosphere.

    The other environmentally friendly way of oil slime processing is pyrolysis. It is the opportunity to solve a global problem connected with the storage of oil slime and also to get the valuable products.

    Oil slimes are heated in the temperature 350-450ºC in the absence of oxygen.

    As a result of the low temperature pyrolysis of oil slime by BIODIESEL CRIMEA ltd the following products were received:

       Ø Carbon black;

        Ø Liquid pyrolysis product (pyrolysis oil);

    Ø Gases.

The gases can be used to support the process in the oven.

The carbon black and pyrolysis oil can be used as the furnace fuel.  

To increase the productivity and effectiveness of the technological process it is possible to pass pyrolysis oil through the rectifying column to receive the separate oil fractions, such as petrol, kerosene, diesel fuel etc.

    As a result of oil slime processing by BIODIESEL CRIMEA ltd the following products were received (percentage)

Photo of carbon black received, sample weight is 30 g.             Photo of  oil slime

photo of pyrolysis oil