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U.S. Department of Energy
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Emission of organic compounds from shale oil waste waters

Thesis/Dissertation ·
OSTI ID:5878164
The emission of organic compounds from shale oil waste waters was investigated using gas chromatography and laboratory simulations of various proposed waste water handling, treatment, and disposal options. The air above waste water samples held in closed containers contained small amounts of organic compounds (ng/mL), while three orders of magnitude greater quantities were purged from the waste waters. Six waste waters purged with air emitted similar distributions of the same compounds, with aromatic nitrogen-containing compounds (primarily alkylpyridine isomers) accounting for 40-76% of the total emitted organics form a single waste water, ketones for 3-13%, phenols for 2-11%, and nitrile for 2-6%. Vaporized organic compounds accounted for 2-5% of the dissolved organic carbon for the three retort waste waters, compared with 23-52% of the three gas-condensate waste waters. Air samples collected in and near a pilot shale oil waste water treatment facility contained the same distinctive compound classes as observed during purge and trap analysis of the waste waters.
OSTI ID:
5878164
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English