Reduction of Phenol in Wastes from
Catalytic Petroleum Processes
JAMES   A.   BIEHL
Chemist
The Ohio Oil Company
Robinson, Illinois
Recent developments of new catalytic processes have advanced the
refining of crude oil to a level that some 70 per cent can be processed
to gasoline fractions. These new developments in refining have presented several problems, one of which is the disposal of plant waste.
Considerable work has been devoted to this problem since the refining
industry is aware of its responsibility for the proper disposal of waste
waters.
One of the chief concerns of refiners is the disposal of phenol-bearing
waste. Phenolic compounds, although tolerated to some extent by
fishes, are definitely toxic. Its toxicity to fresh-water life is reported
in concentrations ranging from less than 1 ppm. to 10 ppm. and in a
range as low as 1 to 2 ppm. there is strong evidence that phenol gives
an undesirable taste to fish. The general thought of many is that
research will establish a phenol limit of 5 parts per billion for drinking
water free of undesirable taste, although the U. S. Public Health
Service presently specifies a limit of 0.001 ppm. Phenolic materials
are produced unavoidably in all refineries employing catalytic processing.
The main source is the new fluid catalytic cracking operation; however,
there are other sources too numerous to mention but they probably are
not in the magnitude found in the waste waters from the catalytic
process.
Several methods for the treatment of phenolic wastes have been
developed and are in use in many industries. An important method is
the biological oxidation of the phenolic material making use of trickling
filters. The phenol concentration is usually controlled between 30
and 50 ppm. with the final effluent from the process containing 1 to 3
ppm. A biological oxidation process was developed in Germany employing a tank aeration operation using ammonium phosphate as a
nutrient. This particular process reports reductions from as high as
1000 ppm. to between 1 and 10 ppm. in the final effluent.
Other processes include the use of activated carbon and pulverized
coal. These processes are generally used in conjunction with other
methods of phenol reduction.   The use of alkaline ion exchange resins
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