51    FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR REMEDIATION OF AN
OILY WASTE POND IN VENEZUELA
Eric J. Dawson
Parsons Engineering Science Inc.
Houston, Texas 77034
Kevin A. Tynes
Parsons Engineering Science International, Inc..
Lima, Peru
Rocco M. Palazzolo
Parsons Engineering Science, Inc.
Caracas, Venezuela
Francisco Brito and Diana Gilbert4
Corpoven, S.A.
Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela
ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the development of a closure plan for an oily waste pond based on
characterization data, treatability studies, and assessment of effectiveness, implementability, and
cost of closure alternatives. Emphasis is given to the most promising closure alternatives, consisting of hydrocarbon recovery, centrifugation, stabilization/solidification, and landfilling.
INTRODUCTION
Corpoven, S.A., an affiliate of Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA), owns and operates a
200,000 barrel per day refinery in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela. The refinery has been in operation
since the early 1950s. Since the early 1980s, waste sludges, tank bottom residues, and other
semiliquid wastes produced at the refinery have been discharged into a natural depression,
known as Los Nisperos pond, located inside the refinery boundary. A site investigation and feasibility study were conducted for the Los Nisperos site, with the objective of developing a closure
strategy for the pond.
The study of the Los Nisperos site, performed in response to Corpoven's efforts to comply
with Venezuelan national environmental regulations promulgated in 1992, is the first large-scale
site investigation/feasibility study completed in Venezuela. The study was conducted in four
phases:
• site investigation
• identification and evaluation of treatment technologies
• development and evaluation of remediation alternatives
• closure plan development.
The site investigation was comprised of reviewing existing information, obtaining additional
data through sampling and analysis of the pond contents, soil, and groundwater, reviewing relevant regulations to determine requirements and limitations for closure of the pond, and a discussion of overall refinery plans and operations that could be affected by closure of the pond or
could impact use of the site. Following the site investigation, potentially applicable treatment
technologies were identified and evaluated through review of technical literature, consultation
52nd Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings. 1997. Ann Arbor Press, Chelsea. Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.
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