Celanese improves anaerobic digester

Conference · Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1979 · Chem. Eng. News; (United States)

OSTI ID:6774808

Witt, E R ^[1]; Roberts, T E

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1. Celanese Chem. Co.

An anaerobic digestion process, developed by Celanese for the disposal of petrochemical wastes, involves feeding some of the treated effluent back into the system to dilute toxic constituents and to lower the pH. Anaerobic digestion as a disposal technique has been a problem since toxic materials and high pH kill the bacteria needed for effective operation. Operation of the process at several petrochemical plants along the gulf coast, including the Celanese guar manufacturing plants in Vernon, Tex., where the wastewater contains, among other things, propylene glycol and caustic soda, has averaged 60Vertical Bar3< long-term chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal since the startup of the process in June 1977. The capacity of the anaerobic system will be expanded as the guar plant is expanded, so that it can handle up to 500,000 gal/day of wastewater and 55,000 lb/day of COD by 1980. Total 1978 treatment costs for the anaerobic system were about $27,000. The cost of treatment is lowered by the fact that the offgases contain Vertical Bar3: 72Vertical Bar3< methane.

• OSTI ID: 6774808
• Report Number(s): CONF-790551-
• Journal Information: Chem. Eng. News; (United States), Vol. 57:20; Conference: Purdue industrial waste conference, West Lafayette, IN, USA, 8 May 1979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
ORGANIC WASTES
WASTE PROCESSING
PETROCHEMICAL PLANTS
ANAEROBIC DIGESTION
BACTERIA
CAPACITY
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
COST
NUMERICAL DATA
PH VALUE
TOXIC MATERIALS
BIOCONVERSION
CHEMICAL PLANTS
DATA
DIGESTION
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
INFORMATION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS
MICROORGANISMS
PROCESSING
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
020800* - Petroleum- Waste Management