EcoRight™ MBR Pilot Study Investigating Treatability of a Saudi Aramco Refinery Wastewater

Siemens Energy Inc. and Saudi Aramco Oil Company embarked on a joint technology development project focusing on improving current MBR technology in the oil and gas sector. This new technology, named EcoRight™, is a biological treatment process in which granular activated carbon (GAC) is added to the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) for enhanced treatment when compared to conventional activated sludge. The GAC is maintained in the aeration basin, thereby reducing the risk of fouling and damage on the downstream membrane fibers used for effluent clarification.Saudi Aramco has adopted a water conservation policy with a goal of minimizing the extraction of ground water and the use of desalinated seawater for process water. As a result, initiatives are underway to actively investigate sustainable methods and technologies that will allow wastewater reuse of oily wastewater, either as cooling water makeup, process water and/or boiler feed water. A key gauge of success for this pilot study was the demonstration of wastewater reuse potential for the wastewater treatment upgrade projects. In order to demonstrate this, the pilot study scope included an evaluation of reverse osmosis filtration, required to determine if the EcoRight™ system adequately removed recalcitrant COD and provided extended RO run times with minimal cleaning requirements and membrane fouling.The objectives of this testing were to determine if the EcoRight™ system produced an effluent that met PME standards and to determine if this effluent could be successfully treated with reverse osmosis filtration with minimum membrane fouling and cleaning requirements to provide an opportunity to reuse treated wastewater.EcoRight™ MBR system and RO pilot testing was conducted at a refinery in Saudi Arabia. The wastewater was considered representative of routine loading and operating conditions at this refinery.