Abstract

Petroleum; petroleum refining; Petrochemistry; crude oil; Petrochemical plants in KZ ;Environmental impact of petroleum ; Environmental regulations ;emission ;pollution ;Preventing pollution in petrochemical industry.

Introduction
Petroleum refining processes . Petroleum refining processes are the chemical engineering processes and other facilities used in petroleum refineries (also referred to as oil refineries) to transform crude oil into useful products such as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), gasoline or petrol, kerosene, jet fuel, diesel oil and fuel oils. Petroleum refineries are very large industrial complexes that involve many different processing units and auxiliary facilities such as utility units and storage tanks. Each refinery has its own unique arrangement and combination of refining processes largely determined by the refinery location, desired products and economic considerations. There are most probably no two refineries that are identical in every respect.Some modern petroleum refineries process as much as 800,000 to 900,000 barrels (127,000 to 143,000 cubic meters) per day of crude oil. Brief history of the petroleum industry and petroleum refining. Prior to the nineteenth century, petroleum was known and utilized in various fashions in Babylon, Egypt, China, Persia, Rome and Azerbaijan. However, the modern history of the petroleum industry is said to have begun in 1846 when Abraham Gessner of Nova Scotia, Canada discovered how to produce kerosene from coal. Shortly thereafter, in 1854, Ignacy Lukasiewicz began producing kerosene from hand-dug oil wells near the town of Krosno, now in Poland. The first large petroleum refinery was built in Ploesti, Romania in 1856 using the abundant oil available in Romania. In North America, the first oil well was drilled in 1858 by James Miller Williams in Ontario, Canada. In the United States, the petroleum industry began in 1859 when Edwin Drake found oil near Titusville, Pennsylvania. The industry grew slowly in the 1800s, primarily producing kerosene for oil lamps. In the early twentieth century, the introduction of the internal combustion engine and its use in automobiles created a market for gasoline that was the impetus for fairly rapid growth of the petroleum industry. The early finds of petroleum like those in Ontario and Pennsylvania were soon outstripped by large oil "booms" in Oklahoma, Texas and California. Prior to World War II in the early 1940s, most petroleum refineries in the United

States consisted simply of crude oil distillation units (often referred to as atmospheric crude oil distillation units). Some refineries also had vacuum distillation units as well as thermal cracking units such as visbreakers (viscosity breakers, units to lower the viscosity of the oil). All of the many other refining processes discussed below were developed during the war or within a few years after the war. They became commercially available within 5 to 10 years after the war ended and the worldwide petroleum industry experienced very rapid growth. The driving force for that growth in technology and in the number and size of refineries worldwide was the growing demand for automotive gasoline and aircraft fuel. In the United States, for various complex economic and political reasons, the construction of new refineries came to a virtual stop in about the 1980s. However, many of the existing refineries in the United States have revamped many of their units and/or constructed add-on units in order to: increase their crude oil processing capacity, increase the octane rating of their product gasoline, lower the sulfur content of their diesel fuel and home heating fuels to comply with environmental regulations and comply with environmental air pollution and water pollution requirements. Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane. Primary petrochemicals are divided into three groups depending on their chemical structure: Olefins includes ethylene, propylene, and butadiene. Ethylene and propylene are important sources of industrial chemicals and plastics products. Butadiene is used in making synthetic rubber. Aromatics includes benzene, toluene, and xylenes. Benzene is a raw material for dyes and synthetic detergents, and benzene and toluene for isocyanates MDI and TDI used in making polyurethanes.Manufacturers use xylenes to produce plastics and synthetic fibers. Synthesis gas is a mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen used to make ammonia and methanol. Ammonia is used to make the fertilizer urea and methanol is used as a solvent and chemical intermediate. Petrochemical industry in Kazakhstan Kazakhstan is fortunate to be well endowed with oil and gas resources, land and a wide range of minerals. These resources contribute significantly to Kazakhstans GDP1. The challenge Kazakhstan is facing is to ensure that they deliver the maximum sustainable benefits to the countrys economy now and in the future.

The government of Kazakhstan is aiming to pursue policies to increase the added value of the economy by diversification, broadening the base for non-oil growth, increasing the linkages between oil- and gas sectors and their related industries, including petrochemical industry. Oil extraction The Republic of Kazakhstan is one of the largest oil production regions in the world with large potential hydrocarbon raw reserves. Oil and gas condensate production was more than 59 million tons in 2004 and is constantly growing. With the development of oil fields at the Caspian Sea, oil extraction is expected to exceed 150-170 million tons by 2015. Oil refining Kazakhstan has three oil refining plants (ORP) and three gas processing plants (GPP). At present, the raw processing of hydrocarbons is limited by oil and gas separation without further delivery of feedstock to petrochemical processes. At the beginning of the chain, there are 3 oil refineries in Kazakhstan: (1) OJSC Atyrau Oil Refining Plant (AORP); (2) CJSC Pavlodar Petrochemical Plant (PPCP); and (3) OJSC Petro Kazakhstan Oil Products in Shymkent (PKOP) . All three are in operation, however, for fuel production only. None of them produces anything that is used for the production of petrochemicals, therefore they cannot be regarded at present as part of the petrochemical sector in Kazakhstan. Only 20 percent of crude oil is refined in the country. The designed production capacities are 18.6 million tons/year with the average capacity utilization of about 40-50 percent in recent years, with negative consequences for plant efficiency and process performance. Light fraction extraction is much less complete than in Western plants. Gas processing Three gas processing plants Tengiz GPP in Atyrau, Kazakh GPP in Zhanaozen (200km from Aktau), and Zhanazhol GPP (ZhGPP) in Zhem city have a general design processing capacity of 6.25 billion m3 of gas per year. Zhanazhol Gas Processing Plant(ZGPP) is part of OJSC CNPC-Aktobemunaigas. It has a processing capacity of 0.7 billion m3 of gas per year. After reconstruction, the plant capacity has been increased up to 0.8 billion m3 per year. The second Zhanazhol GPP was put into operation in September 2003 with the production capacity for the natural gas processing of 1.4 billion m3 per year. The third plant was due for commissioning in 2005. The Tengiz Gas Processing Plant (TGPP) is located in Atyrau Oblast at the Tengiz field developed by JV Tengizchevroil. After reconstruction and expansion, the plant can process up to 6.0 billion m3 of gas and 1 million tons of condensed gas per year. The Kazakh Gas Processing Plant (KGPP) is located in the Mangystau Oblast (Zhanaozen City). It was constructed for the associated gas utilization from the Mangyshlak fields and provision of the Aktau City plastic plant with raw materials, but has never delivered these inputs. The first part of the plant was constructed in 1973. The plant construction with the

capacity of 1.5 billion m3 per year of gas processing and 600 thousand tons per year of liquid oil products was completed in 1979. Putting this plant into operation made possible a utilization level of the associated gas in this region of up to 60 percent. The technological scheme of petrochemical industry

The impact of industry to the environment The environmental impact of petroleum is often negative because it is toxic to almost all forms of life. The possibility of climate change exists. Petroleum, commonly referred to as oil, is closely linked to virtually all aspects of present society, especially for transportation and heating for both homes and for commercial activities. Toxicity The Crude oil is a mixture of many different kinds of organic compounds, many of which are highly toxic and cancer causing (carcinogenic). Oil is "acutely lethal" to fish, that is it kills fish quickly, at a concentration of 4000 parts per million (ppm) (0.4%). Crude oil and petroleum distillates cause birth defects. Benzene is present in both crude oil and gasoline and is known to cause leukemia in humans. The compound is also known to lower the white blood cell count in humans, which would leave people exposed to it more susceptible to infections."Studies have linked benzene exposure in the mere parts per billion (ppb) range to terminal leukemia,Hodgkins lymphoma, and other blood and immune system diseases within 5-15 years of exposure." Exhaust When oil or petroleum distillates are burned, usually the combustion is not complete. This means that incompletely burned compounds are created in addition to just water and carbon dioxide. The other compounds are often toxic to life. Examples are carbon monoxide and methanol. Also, fine particulates of soot

blacken humans' and other animals' lungs and cause heart problems or death. Soot is cancer causing (carcinogenic). Acid rain High temperatures created by the combustion of petroleum cause nitrogen gas in the surrounding air to oxidize, creating nitrous oxides. Nitrous oxides, along with sulfur dioxide from the sulfur in the oil, combine with water in the atmosphere to create acid rain. Acid rain causes many problems such as dead trees and acidified lakes with dead fish. Coral reefs in the world's oceans are killed by acidic water caused by acid rain. Climate change Humans burning large amounts of petroleum create large amounts of CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas that traps heat in the earth's atmosphere. Also some organic compounds, such as methane released from petroleum drilling or from the petroleum itself, trap heat several times more efficiently than CO2. Soot blocks the sun from reaching the earth and could cause cooling of the earth's atmosphere. Oil spills An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually applied to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land. Oil spills may be due to releases of crude oil from tankers, pipelines, railcars, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) and their byproducts, heavier fuels used by large ships such as bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil. Spilt oil penetrates into the structure of the plumage of birds and the fur of mammals, reducing its insulating ability, and making them more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and much less buoyant in the water. Cleanup and recovery from an oil spill is difficult and depends upon many factors, including the type of oil spilled, the temperature of the water (affecting evaporation and biodegradation), and the types of shorelines and beaches involved. Spills may take weeks, months or even years to clean up. Volatile organic compounds Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases or vapours emitted by various solids and liquids, many of which have short- and long-term adverse effects on human health and the environment. VOCs from petroleum are toxic and foul the air, and some like benzene are extremely toxic, carcinogenic and cause DNA damage. Benzene often makes up about 1% of crude oil and gasoline. Benzene is present in automobile exhaust. More important for vapors from spills of diesel and crude oil are aliphatic, volatile compounds. Although "less toxic" than compounds like benzene, their overwhelming abundance can still cause health concerns even when benzene levels in the air are relatively low. The compounds are sometimes collectively measured as "Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons" or "TPH."

Waste oil Waste oil is used oil containing breakdown products and impurities from use. Some examples of waste oil are used oils such as hydraulic oil, transmission oil, brake fluids,motor oil, crankcase oil, gear box oil and synthetic oil. Many of the same problems associated with natural petroleum exist with waste oil. When waste oil from vehicles drips out engines over streets and roads, the oil travels into the water table bringing with it such toxins as benzene. This poisons both soil and drinking water. Runoff from storms carries waste oil into rivers and oceans, poisoning them as well. Non-compliance of oil and gas enterprises with environmental regulations According to the regulations for the development of oil and gas fields, their industrial development are permitted if the associated gas is used in national economy or injected into special storing facilities, fields for temporary storing. Despite these exact requirements oil companies are provided annually with a temporary permit for associated gas incineration during the industrial operation. The oil company Aktobemunaigas, for the period from 2001 to 2002, increased the volume of burned gas from 373 to 787 million m3. A permit was taken only in 2003 for incineration in the volume of 444 million m3. Last year, the company burned two times as much. None of the oil enterprises implement the required utilization of gas. The gas utilization rate in some companies based on the results of checks is as follows: Texaco North Buzachi - 13%; Karazhanbasmunai 49%;Embamunaigas - 56%; Kazturkmunai - 63%; Matin 75%.TengizChevroil (TCO), for the period from 2001 to 2003, exceeded the limits for the associated gas incineration and burned at flares 803 million m3 of acid and unstripped gas with the gross emission of 27.3 thousand tons, not permitted by the MPE draft. TengizChevroil (TCO) accumulated several million tons (8.4) of lump sulfur when purifying the associated oil gas from the hydrogen sulphide. The present sulfur utilization program implemented by the company does not resolve the problem. The launched facilities for granulation and scales removing make possible to produce only 800 thousand tons of marketable sulfur a year. The remaining generated sulfur is subject to accumulation only. Intergas Central Asia did not fulfill the requirements of the State Environmental Expertise issued in 2002 and 2003 for arrangement of the monitoring wells around the filtration fields. Furthermore, during the gas main pipeline operation period from 1997 to 2000, Intergas Central Asia did not implement any prophylactic, repair and diagnostic works. As a result of it, for the period of 2002 -2004, five bursts took place, releasing 21 million m3 of the natural gas, and 1.5 ha of fertile soil layer were lost. The damage was about 2 million tenge. KazTransOil, due to the malfunction of the control devices of the gas analyzer, does not implement a regular

production monitoring of industrial emissions by boiler and pipe furnaces. It also does not monitor the ground waters around the Inder settlement and the records of industrial wastes generation. There are no record devices of burned gas and its content in the hydrogen sulphide at KazakhOilAktobe,Kazakhturkmunai, and Aktobemunaigas. Almost all oil companies do not fulfill their commitments to environmental investment plans. For example, in 2002 only 8% of the Agips plan was fulfilled. The measures necessary to conduct emissions and impact monitoring, and responses to oil spillages have not been not fully developed violating regulations for reserve areas. Taking into account the planned investments for 2003 amounting to 11.7 million tenge only 2.3 million tenge was allocated to KazTransOil, and only 229.8 thousand tenge of this amount was used. Conclusion - High, but reasonable level of environmental protection (in particular, preventing risk to human health and to irreversible damage to high value environmental resources); - Transparency and participation; - Increasing of environmental fees; - Using Maximum Allowable Concentrations; - Carrying out institutional reforms of the state environmental enforcement and inspection agencies; - Development and introduction of the legal, economic and other mechanisms to avoid occurrence of new pollution; - Carrying out of research on development of means and methods of preventing and control of pollution, on rehabilitations of polluted sites, and on recycling of dangerous waste products.

References 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/ 2. http://www-wds.worldbank.org