Amoco Oil Company

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Oil/Water Separation

Industry: Petroleum Refining

Wastes Reduced: Hazardous waste

Substance: API Separator Sludge

Equipment: API Separator

Location: Texas City TX

No. of employees: 2200

Contact: S. A. Medley-Perry

Phone: (409) 945-1151

Description:

The Amoco Oil Company refinery in Texas City is utilizing a combination of pressure filtration and coking to reduce the quantity of listed hazardous waste (K048, K051) disposed by 90-95%. The hazardous wastes (DAF float and API separator sludge) are first pressure filtered to recover oil and dewater the wastes. The resulting filter cake is then sent to the refinery coker and converted into fuel-grade coke and oil, in a proprietary Amoco process.

P2 Application:

Although many refineries are using their cokers to minimize waste disposal, the Amoco process is unique in that it involves re-slurrying the filer cake to a pumpable material, The filter cake slurry is then injected into the coker during the coking cycle to recover additional valuable oil and insure complete conversion of hydrocarbons to coke.

Environmental Benefits:

This project epitomizes resource conservation and recovery. A material that would otherwise be incinerated and lost forever is being recovered and converted into oil and fuel.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

Economic savings have been dramatic, with costs estimated at half the current price for incineration and disposal. Capital costs of the project were recovered in less than a year.

Source: TCEQ