Treatment of NORM-Contaminated Sludge & Soil

from the Petroleum Industry

PDO NORM Workshop February 21-23, 2005

Proxima CancorpProxima Cancorp Petrozyme TechnologiesPetrozyme Technologies

EnviroGemEnviroGem

•Introduction •Approach to the treatment of hydrocarbon &

NORM contamination•Treatment of hydrocarbon contaminants – Stage 1•Treatment of NORM

Stage 2 – Solubilization Stage 3 – Filtration Stage 4 – Polymerization

•Treatment objectives•Proposed pilot & full scale implementation•Conclusion

Contents

Dr. Ajay Singh

• Director of R&D, Petrozyme Technologies• Adjunct Professor University of Waterloo• Specialization - microbial biotechnology• Published in excess of 120 research papers• Holds 5 patents • Co-authored and edited 5 books related to

biotechnology, fermentations, bioremediation and phytoremediation

• Developed biological waste treatment processes related to the petroleum industry

• International experience (US, Canada, India, Germany, Japan, Venezuela, Mexico, Saudi Arabia)

Dr. Perichiyappan Senthilnathan

• Technical Director of EnviroGem Inc.• Consulting advisor to various industries for

water and wastewater treatment including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Merck, Uniroyal, Exxon and Cargill

• Dr. Senthil is the expert in waste water treatment and has isolated and removed metals & radionuclides from water using selected membrane filters

• 30 years in waste water treatment

Peter Cheong

• Principal, Proxima Cancorp Inc.• Director & Founder of Petrozyme Asia

Ltd. – currently actively bidding on all major petroleum sludge/contaminated soil remediation jobs in Asia & Middle East

• Chartered Accountant – PwC, E&W• Assembled a team of scientists to

provide a solution for NORM• Role – project & cost management

Treatment Rationale

• Had to look out of the box for a more cost effective solution

• The risk of NORM comes from small particles of radioactive metals

• Treat the cause not the symptom• Solution had to isolate the NORM and

then manage along with other metals

Treatment Process

• An advanced four-stage integrated bio-physico-chemical process to treat NORM-contaminated oily sludge & soil from the petroleum industry

• Each of the stages in this process has been field proven

Four-Stage Process Flow

NORM-free Water for

reuse

NORM Oily sludge

AirMicrobesNutrients

Water

Oil Sorption & Separation

(4 - 6 h)

NORMContaminated soil

Bioreactor(10 – 12 d)

Water way, Drains, Recycling

Membrane rejects

NORMWaste water

Clean water

NORM Solubilization

Polymerization of

Radioactive residues

Treated solids Dispos

al

NORMContainmen

tSealing Disposal

Dewatering

WastewaterUltrafiltrationNanofiltration

Reverse Osmosis

Stage 1 – Removal of hydrocarbons

• biological process for oily sludges • physico-chemical process for

hydrocarbon-contaminated soils• bioreactors and mixers will provide added

shielding from NORM for the operators• water is an integral part of both these

processes

Stage 1 – oily sludges

• subjected to bio-treatment in a slurry bioreactor using the patented “Petrozyme Process”

• microorganisms, a blend of proprietary nutrients and optimized air flow facilitate accelerated biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons

• result is a >90% TPH removal in 8 to 12 days.

Example of Bioreactors

Stage 1 – contaminated soils

• for low oil-contaminated soils (<8% TPH), “Remsep” is used

• patented 2-phase remediation & separation process

• hydrocarbons are separated using hydrophobic sorbents & mobilizing agents in mixers

• removal of >90% of TPH in treatment periods of 4 to 6 hours.

Stage 1 – Remsep

Stage 2 - Solubilization

• solubilization done in tanks • process proven on uranium, radium,

thorium & strontium • proprietary list of reagents containing

selected ligands are used to solubilize radioactive & inorganic elements

• challenge is to ensure no reaction among reagents

• treated sludge/soil is dewatered & solids are sent to a suitable landfill

Stage 3 - Filtration

• filtrate containing radioactive elements & metals from stage 2 are subjected to a series of ultrafiltration, nano/diafiltration & a high-pressure high-rejection reverse osmosis (RO) system

• proven on uranium, radium, thorium & xanthium • residues from nano/diafiltration & RO systems

containing concentrated radioactive high-molecular weight elements & metals are collected in residue storage tanks

• Permeate from RO unit free of radioactive elements is either discharged to local sewer/water bodies or re-used in the upstream processes

Stage 4 – Polymerization &

containment

• contents of residue storage tank are water reduced

• polymerize residues • polymers are stable indefinitely• material is contained within non-reactive

Uranium containers or metal drums & sealed

• ultimate disposal in secured landfills

Stabilization/Containment Solutions

• Superior qualities in:• Shielding operators• Isolating radionuclides• No structural damage from radiation (gamma)• Retaining radio isotopes• No biodegradation• No leaching issues• Significant reduction in final landfill cost

• Process cost – US$1,200 to $1,500 per ton* plus landfill cost of NORM free solid material from the Petrozyme/Remsep Processes

* Based on 10k m3 of sludge/contaminated soil

Treatment Objectives

• meet the actionable level set by the International Atomic Energy Agency– isotopic activity in treated solids & effluent not

to exceed 0.5 Bq/g for Ra226

• show process has successfully isolated radionuclides and retained radio isotopes – based on standards set by US EPA,

Department of Energy and the Nuclear Regulatory Council

Proposed pilot

• demonstrate that petroleum hydrocarbons can be effectively degraded or removed from sludges & contaminated soils

• NORM present in sludges & soils can be effectively treated/stabilized using our approach

• approach is scalable• length & cost of pilot

Full Scale Implementation

• JV with local company

• Oil co options:– We supply all equipment– Except for Bioreactors & NORM related

equipment, Oil co supplies some or all equipment (Capex)

Conclusion

• Process addresses, isolates & treats hazardous materials (toxic organic compounds, metals & radionuclides)

• Technically advanced• User friendly• Efficient• Cost effective• No legacy issues