Implementing and optimizing the operation of membrane bioreactors for petroleum wastewater treatment

In the recent Kazakhstan Upstream Oil and Gas Technology and R&D Roadmap, water management has been recognized one of the fifteen main challenges that must be dealt with. This roadmap mentions that chemical processes are increasingly used for wastewater treatment; however it is recognized that "the preferred, longer term solution is likely to be membrane technology, which present a local R&D opportunity since further development is needed. This could lead to local opportunities for design, installation and maintenance of membrane separation equipment"[1]. In line with the above requirements the proposed project develops and optimizes a membrane based treatment scheme for the treating & recycling of the water within the industry. Another objective is to investigate several biological processes within the membrane bioreactor (MBR) including nitrification/denitrification and biological removal of cyanides

Implementing and optimizing the operation of membrane bioreactors for petroleum wastewater treatment

In the recent Kazakhstan Upstream Oil and Gas Technology and R&D Roadmap, water management has been recognized one of the fifteen main challenges that must be dealt with. This roadmap mentions that chemical processes are increasingly used for wastewater treatment; however it is recognized that "the preferred, longer term solution is likely to be membrane technology, which present a local R&D opportunity since further development is needed. This could lead to local opportunities for design, installation and maintenance of membrane separation equipment"[1]. In line with the above requirements the proposed project develops and optimizes a membrane based treatment scheme for the treating & recycling of the water within the industry. Another objective is to investigate several biological processes within the membrane bioreactor (MBR) including nitrification/denitrification and biological removal of cyanides

Determining the fundamental failure modes in Ni-rich lithium ion battery cathodes

Challenges associated with in-service mechanical degradation of Li-ion battery cathodes has prompted a transition from polycrystalline to single crystal cathode materials. Whilst for single crystal materials, dislocation-assisted crack formation is assumed to be the dominating failure mechanism throughout battery life, there is little direct information about their mechanical behaviour, and mechanistic understanding remains elusive. Here, we demonstrated, using in situ micromechanical testing, direct measurement of local mechanical properties within LiNi0.8Mn0.1Co0.1O2 single crystalline domains. We elucidated the dislocation slip systems, their critical stresses, and how slip facilitate cracking. We then compared single crystal and polycrystal deformation behaviour. Our findings answer two fundamental questions critical to understanding cathode degradation: What dislocation slip systems operate in Ni-rich cathode materials? And how does slip cause fracture? This knowledge unlocks our ability to develop tools for lifetime prediction and failure risk assessment, as well as in designing novel cathode materials with increased toughness in-service

Implementing and optimizing the operation of membrane bioreactors for petroleum wastewater treatment

The main objective of the project is to study & optimize the operation of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with suitable pre-treatment for the treatment of petroleum wastewater. The optimization will focus on the configurations to achieve the desired treated effluent quality

Implementing and optimizing the operation of membrane bioreactors for petroleum wastewater treatment

The main objective of the project is to study & optimize the operation of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) coupled with suitable pre-treatment for the treatment of petroleum wastewater. The optimization will focus on the configurations to achieve the desired treated effluent quality

Investigating the inhibitory effect of cyanide, phenol and 4-nitrophenol on the activated sludge process employed for the treatment of petroleum wastewater

Abstract In this work, the inhibitory effect of cyanide, phenol and 4-nitrophenol on the activated sludge process was investigated. The inhibition of the aerobic oxidation of organic matter, nitrification and denitrification were examined in batch reactors by measuring the specific oxygen uptake rate (sOUR), the specific ammonium uptake rate (sAUR) and the specific nitrogen uptake rate (sNUR) respectively. The tested cyanide, phenol and 4-nitrophenol concentrations were 0.2–1.7 mg/L, 4.8–73.1 mg/L and 8.2–73.0 mg/L respectively. Cyanide was highly toxic as it significantly (>50%) inhibited the activity of autotrophic biomass, heterotrophic biomass under aerobic conditions and denitrifiers even at relatively low concentrations (1.0–1.7 mgCN−/L). The determination of the half maximum inhibitory concentration (IC50) confirmed this, since for cyanide IC50 values were very low for the examined bioprocesses (<1.5 mg/L). On the other hand, the IC50 values for phenol and 4-nitrophenol were much higher (>25 mg/L) for the tested bioprocesses since appreciable concentrations were required to accomplish significant inhibition. The autotrophic bacteria were more sensitive to phenol than the aerobic heterotrophs. The denitrifiers were found to be very resistant to phenol