Energy Recovery from Oil Sludge Treatment by Using

Fluidized Bed Pyrolysis

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Energy Recovery from Oil Sludge Treatment by Using
Fluidized Bed Pyrolysis

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Perak Darul Ridzuan, Malaysia
 Background

 Oil sludge is a problem in oil and gas industry.

 The common treatment of oil sludge is by land farming.

 Land farming is cost effective, but it has

drawback due to odor problem, air and
ground water pollution.

 If land farming is sited close to community,

S
it causes serious objection by the public.

Thus, land farming needs improvement in H

H
odor and organic pollutants emission control.
 Problem Statement

Oil refinery plants and crude oil

terminals

Oil storage tank

Oil sludge Waste

 Alkanes
 PAHs
 Heavy metals
 Radionuclides

 High volume of sludge is generated by oil and gas industry (50 tonnes of oil sludge
waste/year/refinery with production capacity of 105,000 barrels crude oil/day)
 Oil sludge is hazardous containing carcinogenic materials such as PAHs.
 Thus, the disposal costs is very expensive.
 Objectives

1. To examine the potential of oily sludge as a fuel sources.

2. To characterize and identify the fuel characteristic of oily sludge related to

thermochemical conversion.

3. To develop a fluidized bed pyrolysis reactor for oily sludge pyrolysis.

4. To investigate the performance of bio-oil from oily sludge pyrolysis in gas

engine and boiler
 Introduction

Possible Oily Sludge (OS)

Disposal Method

Landfill Fertilizer Dump in the sea Incineration

• Combustion
• • Increase heavy metal in soil. • • Pyrolysis
Greenhouse gas emission. Harmful to marine environment.
• Effected human through food
• Limited land space.
chain
• Effected human through food • Gasification
• High operation cost chain.

• A combination of pyrolysis method for OS and the recovery of energy as heat and electricity is now
an option worth exploring

• Eliminate disposal problem and reduce the cost while contribute the alternative energy for the
country.
 Current Disposal Method For Oily Sludge

Figure 1: Common disposal technique of OS waste in wastewater treatment plant

Figure 2: Proposed disposal technique of OS waste in wastewater treatment plant.

 The Technology

Reducing transport cost

Pyrolysis Process
Bottom tank sludge
Odor and air pollution control

Producing useful bio-products

Renewable energy
 Pyrolysis Process For Oily Sludge

Oily Sludge
 Applications Of Pyrolysis Bio-oil

BIO-OIL

Fuel Chemicals Heat Power

• Hydrogen • Resin • Co-firing of boiler • Diesel engine

• Syngas fuel • Fertilizer and furnace • Turbine
• Adhesive
• Acetic Aside
• Industries
feedstock
 Research Methodology

• Reduce the moisture content of oily sludge

Oil sludge
dewatering
• Volatile matter, fixed carbon, ash content, CHNS content, kinetic
Fuel properties, and fuel composition
characteriz
ation

• Deep study on reactor design

• Design and fabricate the reactor
Reactor
Design

• Experimental on Pyrolysis of the Oily Sludge and collect the

informative data
Pyrolysis

• Determine the properties of product fuel from Oily Sludge pyrolysis

Fuel and tested to engine/boiler
Product
 Value Creation

 This research will provide technology for sludge treatment free from odor and
organic pollution.
(Thus application of this technology in area close to community become possible)

 PETRONAS will benefit from this technology

because it can save millions of Ringgits from
volume reduction, transportation and other
charges if otherwise the sludges were to be
sent to Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd.

 The final product can be used as liquid, solid and gaseous fuel

 Contribute to PETRONAS as energy source and exploring the new

source of fuel from waste.
 Project Budget

Items Description Amount (RM)

1. Salary and wages Research Officer for three years: 36 x RM 180,000.00
5000.00
2.Travelling Sample collection, meetings and 150,000.00
and Transportation conference
3. Research Materials & Purchase of materials for sludge 270,000.00
Supplies characterization and fuel properties
4. Maintenance and Minor Maintenance and calibration of reactor 50,000.00
Repair Services
5. Rental Rental for Thermogravimetric analysis. 20,000.00
6. Accessories and Equipment Fluidized bed Pyrolysis reactor, Pyrolysis 400,000.00
equipment, gas analyzer facilitates

7. Professional service Purchasing simulation software and 60,000.00

Consultant service.
Total 1,130,000.00