Electrodeionization for Wastewater Reuse in Petrochemical Plants

This study investigated a hybrid membrane and electro-membrane separation process for producing demineralized water from tertiary petrochemical effluent, reusing it as feeding water for high-pressure boilers for steam generation. The effluents were treated in a pilot plant with a 1 m3 h-1 capacity by using a hybrid process of ultrafiltration (UF), reverse osmosis (RO), and electrodeionization (EDI). The physicochemical parameters of interest and maximum limits in industrial water were pre-determined by the industries. Operating parameters such as flow rate, pressure, percentage of recovery, and electric current were monitored, along with the frequency of chemical cleaning. The UF and RO systems operated with average permeate fluxes of 17 +/- 4.06 L h-1 m-2 and 20.1 +/- 1.9 L h-1 m-2, respectively. Under optimal operating conditions (flow rate of 600 L h-1, voltage of 22.2 +/- 0.7 V, and electric current of 1.3 A), EDI produced high-quality water with an average electrical conductivity of 0.22 mu S cm-1. Thus, the industrial water produced reached the quality required for reuse as make-up water for high-pressure boilers in the petrochemical industry. In addition, the specific energy consumption; the use of chemicals, spare materials, equipment; and labor costs were determined to support the technical feasibility study for implementing an industrial plant with a 90 m3 h-1 producing capacity. This resulted in a cost of USD 0.64 per cubic meter of demineralized water produced, a cost similar to values reported in the literature.