PhD Dissertation Empirical DATA
Description
Residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) persist in refinery wastewater due to variations in molecular structure and matrix composition. This study characterized PAHs at seven refinery locations, using untreated Main Header as reference, while six downstream matrices—API Separator, Heavy-Oil Pond, Light-Oil Pond, Biological Pond, DAF Pond, and Treated-Water Pond—were tested in matched adsorption experiments. Five adsorbent formulations, combining commercial activated carbon, date-palm sheath, date-palm fiber, and a magnetite-containing palm phase, were evaluated at 3 g/L, 15-min contact time, and 35 °C. Five PAHs—dibenz[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, naphthalene, phenanthrene, and pyrene—were selected for their contrasting molecular weights. Nitrogen physisorption gave BET surface areas of 920 and 1150 m²/g for sheath and fiber, with pore volumes of 0.68 and 0.75 cm³/g. SEM revealed porous fibrous morphologies with 1–10 µm channels, and EDX confirmed carbon-rich surfaces. Across all six matrices, palm-containing formulations produced substantially lower PAHs than activated carbon alone. The magnetite-containing formulation reduced dibenz[a,h]anthracene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene, and naphthalene below detection limits at all locations, while phenanthrene and pyrene remained at low residual concentrations. These results support date-palm phases as effective components in multi-material adsorbents for tertiary polishing of refinery wastewater.
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Institutions
- University of TabrizEast Azerbaijan, Tabriz