Study of aerobic oxidation and allied treatments for upgrading in-situ retort waters. Final report

Technical Report · Mon Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/6727429· OSTI ID:6727429

Hicks, R. E.; Wei, I. W.

This study concerns the treatment of retort water from a modified in-situ shale retort. The water contains organic and inorganic contamination. An oil water separator was designed but tests were not made and are recommended. A steam stripper for ammonia was designed. A thorough experimental investigation of biological oxidation was made. Experiments were made on air and oxygen activated sludge with and without the addition of powdered activated carbon, on a rotating biological contactor and on sequenced equipment. The BOD (initially 4000 mg/1) could be 90% removed from undiluted wastewater preferably using oxygen activated sludge. COD (initially 10,000 mg/1) was not removed in excess of BOD unless carbon was used. The sequence RBC-PAC-AS removed 85% of the BOD and 66% of the COD but is expensive. Solvent extraction and resin adsorption proved unsatisfactory as follow-on treatments to biological treatment. Activated carbon is satisfactory but expensive. Reverse osmosis proved an excellent alternative to biological oxidation and a separate study, not reported here, was made. Tests on the alternative of raising dirty steam from untreated retort matter were strongly recommended.

• Research Organization: Water Purification Associates, Cambridge, MA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC20-79LC10097
• OSTI ID: 6727429
• Report Number(s): DOE/LC/10097-1; ON: DE83002245
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS
040900* -- Oil Shales & Tar Sands-- Waste management
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
ACTIVATED CARBON
ADSORBENTS
ADSORPTION
AEROBIC DIGESTION
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBON
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DIFFUSION
DIGESTION
ELEMENTS
ENERGY SOURCES
EXTRACTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MODIFIED IN-SITU PROCESSES
NONMETALS
OIL SHALES
OSMOSIS
OXIDATION
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PROCESSING
REMOVAL
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLVENT EXTRACTION
SORPTION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTE WATER
WASTES
WATER