Experiencias de gestión ambiental para el manejo y disposición final de catalizadores gastados en refinerías de petróleo en América Latina Environmental management experiences for the handling and final disposal of spent catalysts in oil refineries in Latin America

Abstract

The production of waste linked to spent catalysts used in various operations in oil refining can form an important environmental problem due to the characteristic of the metals that compose it, a circumstance that complicates the study of these based on the different environmental regulations or laws that exist in the world, as well as in all Latin America. In this sense, the objective of this research is focused on knowing and analyzing the experiences of environmental management for the handling and final disposal of spent catalysts in Oil Refineries in Latin America, in addition to interrelating previous experiences with the theoretical bases that support the research, it is important to make the interrelation between the positions so that a consistent vision is produced on the most favorable aspects for the adequate management of spent catalysts. To this end, the methodological design was descriptive, allowing the analysis of documents and research that supported the various experiences on the subject, as well as theoretical and technical foundations, studied experiences, which allowed establishing that the chemical properties present in spent catalysts enable their reuse as basic input, however, it represents a potential eco-toxic warning of risks in the face of direct explanation.La producción de desechos vinculados con catalizadores gastados utilizados en diversas operaciones en la refinación del petróleo puede conformar un importante problema ambiental debido a la característica en los metales que lo componen, circunstancia que complica el estudio de estos en función de las diferentes normas o leyes ambientales que existen en el mundo, así como en toda Latinoamérica. En este sentido, el objetivo de esta investigación se centra en conocer y analizar las experiencias de gestión ambiental para el manejo y disposición final de catalizadores gastados en Refinerías de Petróleo en América Latina, además de interrelacionar las experiencias previas con los basamentos teóricos que sustentan la investigación, es importante realizar la interrelación entre las posturas para que se produzca una visión congruente sobre los aspectos más favorables para el adecuado manejo de los catalizadores gastados. A tal efecto, el diseño metodológico fue descriptivo permitiendo el análisis de documentos e investigaciones que apoyaron las diversas experiencias sobre la temática, así como fundamentos teóricos, técnicos, experiencias estudiadas, que permitieron establecer que las propiedades químicas presentes en los catalizadores gastados posibilitan la reutilización como insumo básico, sin embargo, representa un potencial alerta eco-tóxico de riesgos ante la exposición directa.ABSTRACTThe production of waste linked to spent catalysts used in various operations in oil refining can form an important environmental problem due to the characteristic of the metals that compose it, a circumstance that complicates the study of these based on the different environmental regulations or laws that exist in the world, as well as in all Latin America. In this sense, the objective of this research is focused on knowing and analyzing the experiences of environmental management for the handling and final disposal of spent catalysts in Oil Refineries in Latin America, in addition to interrelating previous experiences with the theoretical bases that support the research, it is important to make the interrelation between the positions so that a consistent vision is produced on the most favorable aspects for the adequate management of spent catalysts. To this end, the methodological design was descriptive, allowing the analysis of documents and research that supported the various experiences on the subject, as well as theoretical and technical foundations, studied experiences, which allowed establishing that the chemical properties present in spent catalysts enable their reuse as basic input, however, it represents a potential eco-toxic warning of risks in the face of direct explanation.DOI:https://doi.org/10.53766/GICOS/2022.07.04.1