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Refinery effluents represent an emission source of hydrocarbons (HCs) and other constituents to the environment. Thus, characterisation of effluent quality in terms of concentrations of key parameters relative to permitted standards is important and for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), the specific composition of the HC mixture can affect its toxicity to aquatic organisms. Therefore, this study was designed to analyse TPH, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylenes (BTEX), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), (bio) chemical oxygen demand, total nitrogen, total suspended solids and selected metals before, and after, treatment steps to demonstrate removal efficiencies across 13 refineries with variable wastewater treatment systems. Final discharge concentrations of the measured parameters were by 97% within the so called Best Available Technique Associated Emission Levels (BAT-AELs). Further, TPH composition was characterised using high-resolution two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC) analysis to understand the mass distribution by carbon number and specific chemical class. Measurements were compared to SimpleTreat model predictions for validation. SimpleTreat successfully predicted the shape of the effluent composition since it is essentially a removal constant applied to the influent composition. The predictions were of similar magnitude as, or were greater than, the effluent concentrations since SimpleTreat is based on typical performance and is intended to be conservative. This was especially true for aromatic constituents. Reduction in potential HC exposures also coincided with a decrease in predicted toxicity using a mechanistic oil toxicity model, PETROTOX. Overall, the results indicate that EU petroleum refineries are likely to achieve a high performance level regarding effluent treatment.

Microbes in aquifers are present suspended in groundwater or attached to the aquifer sediment. Groundwater is often sampled at gasoline ether oxygenate (GEO)-impacted sites to assess the potential biodegradation of organic constituents. However, the distribution of GEO-degrading microorganisms between the groundwater and aquifer sediment must be understood to interpret this potential. In this study, the distribution of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE)-degrading organisms and ETBE biodegradation potential was investigated in laboratory microcosm studies and mixed groundwater-aquifer sediment samples obtained from pumped monitoring wells at ETBE-impacted sites. ETBE biodegradation potential (as determined by quantification of the ethB gene) was detected predominantly in the attached microbial communities and was below detection limit in the groundwater communities. The copy number of ethB genes varied with borehole purge volume at the field sites. Members of the Comamonadaceae and Gammaproteobacteria families were identified as responders for ETBE biodegradation. However, the detection of the ethB gene is a more appropriate function-based indicator of ETBE biodegradation potential than taxonomic analysis of the microbial community. The study shows that a mixed groundwater-aquifer sediment (slurry) sample collected from monitoring wells after minimal purging can be used to assess the aquifer ETBE biodegradation potential at ETBE-release sites using this function-based concept.

Water is used in petroleum oil refineries in significant volumes for cooling, steam generation and processing of raw materials. Effective water management is required at refineries to ensure their efficient and responsible operation with respect to the water environment. However, ascertaining the potential environmental risks associated with discharge of refinery effluents to receiving waters is challenging because of their compositional complexity. Recent European research and regulatory initiatives propose a more holistic approach including biological effect methods to assess complex effluents and surface water quality. The study presented here investigated potential effects of effluent composition, particularly hydrocarbons, on aquatic toxicity and was a component of a larger study assessing contaminant removal during refinery wastewater treatment (Hjort et al 2021). The evaluation of effects utilised a novel combination of mechanistic toxicity modelling based on the exposure composition, measured bioavailable hydrocarbons using biomimetic solid phase microextraction (BE-SPME), and bioassays. The results indicate that in the refinery effluent assessments measured bioavailable hydrocarbons using BE-SPME was correlated with the responses in standard bioassays. It confirms that bioassays are providing relevant data and that BE-SPME measurement, combined with knowledge of other known non-hydrocarbon toxic constituents, provide key tools for toxicity identification. Overall, the results indicate that oil refinery effluents treated in accordance to the EU Industrial Emissions Directive requirements have low to negligible toxicity to aquatic organisms and their receiving environments. Low-cost, animal-free BE-SPME represents a compelling tool for rapid effluent characterization.

Natural source zone depletion (NSZD) encompasses all processes that result in petroleum hydrocarbon light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) mass loss. Vertical gas transport between the subsurface and atmosphere is a key component of NSZD. Gas exchange with the atmosphere may be restricted at sites with ground cover, which is typical for European fuel retail sites. This raises questions of whether, and to what extent, the generic NSZD conceptual model applies at these sites. Here, we present a study that evaluated how concrete and asphalt pavement affected NSZD processes and data interpretation for three NSZD assessment methods: soil gas concentration gradient, biogenic heat and carbon dioxide traps. All methods demonstrated that NSZD was occurring and NSZD rates were generally within the low end of values reported in the literature for unpaved sites. However, there was considerable variability in the rates, which highlights the need for careful examination of the conceptual site model and potential interferences for each method. The results demonstrate the viability of soil gas and temperature data collected from existing monitoring wells screened into the unsaturated zone without the need for additional, intrusive subsurface installations. The results also provide useful guidance for developing optimal long-term NSZD monitoring approaches, where necessary.

Hazard assessment of refinery effluents is challenging because of their compositional complexity. Therefore, a weight-of-evidence approach using a combination of tools is often required. Previous research has focused on several predictive tools for sophisticated chemical analyses: biomimetic extraction to quantify the potentially bioaccumulative substances, 2-dimensional gas chromatography, modeling approaches to link oil composition to toxicity (PETROTOX), and whole-effluent toxicity assessments using bioassays. The present study investigated the value of these tools by comparing predicted effects to actual effects observed in stream mesocosm toxicity studies with refinery effluents. Three different effluent samples, with and without fortification by neat petroleum substances, were tested in experimental freshwater streams. The results indicate that the biological community shifted at higher exposure levels, consistent with chronic toxicity effects predicted by both modeled toxic units and potentially bioaccumulative substance measurements. The present study has demonstrated the potential of the predictive tools and the robustness of the stream mesocosm design to improve our understanding of the environmental hazards posed by refinery effluents. Environ Toxicol Chem 2019;38:650-659. © 2018 SETAC.

Distribution and elimination of petroleum products can be predicted in aerobic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) using models such as multimedia fate model SimpleTreat. An advantage of the SimpleTreat model is that it only requires a few basic properties of a chemical in wastewater to calculate partitioning, biodegradation and ultimately emissions to air, surface water and produced sludge. The SimpleTreat model structure reflects a WWTP scheme. However, refinery WWTPs typically incorporate more advanced treatment processes such as dissolved air flotation (DAF), a process that clarifies wastewaters by the removal of suspended matter such as oil or solids. The objective of this work was to develop a WWTP removal model that includes DAF treatment. To understand how including a DAF in the model affects the predicted concentrations of petroleum constituents in effluent, we replaced the primary sedimentation module in SimpleTreat with a module simulating DAF. Subsequently, we compared results from the WWTP-DAF model with results obtained with the original SimpleTreat model for a library of over 1500 representative hydrocarbon constituents. The increased air-water exchange in a WWTP-DAF unit resulted in higher predicted removal of volatile constituents. Predicted removal with DAF was on average 17% larger than removal with primary sedimentation. We compared modelled results with measured removal data from the literature, which supported that this model refinement continues to improve the technical basis of assessment of petroleum products.

Production of polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) biopolymers by mixed microbial cultures concurrent to wastewater treatment is a valorization route for residual organic material. This development has been at pilot scale since 2011 using industrial and municipal organic residuals. Previous experience was the basis for a PHA production demonstration project: PHARIO. PHARIO was centred on processing surplus activated sludge biomass from the Bath full-scale municipal wastewater treatment plant in the Netherlands to produce PHA. Full-scale surplus activated sludge was fed to a pilot facility to produce PHA rich biomass using fermented volatile fatty acid (VFA) rich liquors from industry or primary sludge sources. A PHA rich biomass with on average 0.41 gPHA/gVSS was obtained with reproducible thermal properties and high thermal stability. A routine kilogram scale production was established over 10 months and the polymer material properties and market potential were evaluated. Surplus full-scale activated sludge, over four seasons of operations, was a reliable raw material to consistently and predictably produce commercial quality grades of PHA. Polymer type and properties were systematic functions of the mean co-polymer content. The mean co-polymer content was predictably determined by the fermented feedstock composition. PHARIO polymers were estimated to have a significantly lower environmental impact compared to currently available (bio)plastics.

A pilot-scale process was operated over 22 months at the Brussels North Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in order to evaluate polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production integration with services of municipal wastewater and sludge management. Activated sludge was produced with PHA accumulation potential (PAP) by applying feast-famine selection while treating the readily biodegradable COD from influent wastewater (average removals of 70% COD, 60% CODsol, 24% nitrogen, and 46% phosphorus). The biomass PAP was evaluated to be in excess of 0.4gPHA/gVSS. Batch fermentation of full-scale WWTP sludge at selected temperatures (35, 42 and 55 °C) produced centrate (6-9.4 gCODVFA/L) of consistent VFA composition, with optimal fermentation performance at 42 °C. Centrate was used to accumulate PHA up to 0.39 gPHA/gVSS. The centrate nutrients are a challenge to the accumulation process but producing a biomass with 0.5 gPHA/gVSS is considered to be realistically achievable within the typically available carbon flows at municipal waste management facilities.