VOC emission from oil refinery and petrochemical wastewater treatment plant estimation

As a consequence of environmental legislation improvement in Serbia for industrial producers, especially future holders of Integrated Pollution Prevention Control (IPPC) license, it is necessary to report annually on emissions of pollutants emitted into the environment and pay certain environmental fees. Wastewater treatment plants can be significant sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) diffuse emissions, which are difficult to measure directly. Reporting obligations may also expand to benzene and other VOCs in the near future. This paper deals with gaseous emissions calculations from an API separator, based on emission factors and adequate software applications. The analyses results show that the estimated emission values are significantly different, depending on the applied method. VOC emissions have been estimated using US EPA and CONCAWE emissions factors. Calculated emissions range from 40 to 4500 tons/year for oil refinery WWTP of 2,000,000 m3/year. The calculations of benzene and toluene emissions have been performed using three methods: U.S. EPA emission factors, and WATER9 and Toxchem+ software. The calculated benzene and toluene emissions range from 5.5-60 and 0.7-20 tons/year, respectively. U.S. EPA emission factors give the highest values and Toxchem+ the lowest estimation values. Sensitivity analysis of obtained results included the following parameters: flow, temperature, oil content and the concentration of benzene and toluene in the effluent. The wide range of results indicates the need for their official interpretation for the conditions that are typical for Serbia if, in the future, the "polluter pays" principle should be applied to VOC and benzene emissions. The proposal is that adequate national emission factors should be established.Stupanjem na snagu novih zakonskih akata, industrijski zagađivači u Srbiji - budući nosioci integrisane dozvole, dužni su da na godišnjem nivou izveštavaju o emisijama štetnih gasova koji se ispuštaju u životnu sredinu i da u skladu sa time plaćaju određene ekološke naknade. Obaveza izveštavanja u skorijoj budućnosti može se proširiti na benzen i druge lako isparljive ugljovodonike. Predmet analize ovog rada su primena emisionih faktora i softverske simulacije za proračun gasovitih emisija iz postrojenja za tretman otpadnih voda. Rezultati pokazuju da se izračunate vrednosti emisija značajno razlikuju od metode do metode, a u diskusiji se posebna pažnja obraća na procenu pouzdanosti svake od njih

Redesigning current instruments as a precondition for a more effective environmental protection

The problems of environment and evaluation of natural capital belong to the phenomenology of externalities, and the requirements of environmental economics are ever more oriented towards the elaboration of the ecological-economic category of the externalization of internal expenses, wherefrom reasons for the introduction of ecological-economic instruments, before all payments for pollutions, ensue. Demystification of the negative conviction relating ecological payments as taxes is very important, since it must be shown that ecological payments correct, mitigate or remove externalities. Environmental protection is a complex system and it consists in a set of rules, measures and instruments that are applied for the surveillance of pollution sources, and shaping of instruments for environmental protection is a complex process intended for the accomplishment of established ecological goals. Among all instruments available for bridging the gap of internalization and exerting a significant effect on polluters to diminish their emissions of pollution, the ecological and economic ones are most important. The results of our investigation have demonstrated that it is necessary to reshape the current set of instruments regarding protection of vital functions of nature and an efficient environmental protection, and one of the key cognitions is that the scientific and professional public must not be excluded from the appraisals of creating and redesigning the instruments of environmental protection. These assertions have their foundation in the premise that the significance of elements of the social dimension in sustainable development is to a great extent determined by the level of environmental degradation and reduction in capacity of renewable sources. The paper, approach and data processing of the conducted research offer a new model and new elements of methodology for establishing the state and quality of the environment, whereby social-economic criteria of research (a socio-economic laboratory) are introduced into the fundamental analysis of the condition of crucial media of the environment, but also into shaping a more efficacious instrument set of protection. In such a way, a substantial contribution is given to the affirmation of a holistic and inter-disciplinary approach in the investigation and understanding the phenomenon of contemporary environmental reality, especially the central media of the environment (water, air, soil)