A Green Alternative for Refinery Waste Management
Iron Creek Group’s patented Tech Zero technology for processing waste and their patented Enhance Thermal Conduction (ETC) technology for larger waste-management projects have revolutionized the way refinery waste is treated. Using a secondary manufacturing process the technology delists waste, eliminates the contingent liability of trucking waste to landfills and reduces turnaround time to minimize delays in production.
When refineries modernize their tank waste management process, land application and/or landfilling procedures they can reduce the labor-intensive, administrative burden of listing waste. Modern technology recycles usable materials, implements green, environmentally sustainable ways to treat refinery sludge and can even generate a secondary source of revenue for the refinery.
Listing and Delisting Hazardous Waste
In 1976, Congress signed the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act into law, also known as RCRA, in an effort to manage increasing amounts of industrial and municipal waste. The law gives the EPA jurisdiction to oversee hazardous wastes from beginning to end, or, to borrow their language, from “cradle to grave.” The EPA has a list of regulations and policies that ensure everything from waste generation to hazardous waste disposal is done in a manner that’s safe for people and the environment.
There have been a number of amendments made to RCRA over the years, including the Hazardous and Solid Waste Amendments in 1984, which included the land disposal restrictions program (LDR). The LDR program penalizes irresponsible and harmful land disposal of hazardous waste.
To avoid penalties, waste generators must list their waste with the EPA by documenting every step of the disposal process to demonstrate compliance with the LDR program. From identification to reporting to transportation and disposal management, the compliance process is paper-work intensive, adding administrative burdens on refinery managers.
Iron Creek’s patented technologies are designed to reduce these burdens. Tech Zero, and ETC treatment removes the need for landfill disposal and makes the tank sludge treatment process safer and more streamlined. These treatment methods help refineries delist waste, reduce liability, eliminate future remedial action, while recycling tank sludge into usable material, creating a secondary stream of revenue.
Rethinking Tank Waste Treatment
As tank waste accumulates, refineries undergo turnarounds two to five times a year to maintain equipment and remove tank sludge buildup which slows production and increases oil prices.
There are a number of applications to treat oily tank sludge. Three common practices involve centrifugation, land farming, solvent extraction and landfill disposal.
Centrifugation is considered a clean treatment method but requires bulky, complicated equipment that involves large rotary kilns and centrifuge units. The process is loud, it requires a large operational space and poses environmental and safety risks if not properly handled.
Bio-remediation via land application farming is a popular method for tank waste treatment because it’s cost effective. However, large areas of land are required and the process can be disrupted by cold temperatures and lots of rain fall. Once spread over the land, the sludge has to be tilled, watered and treated with nutrients, making it a time consuming, labor-intensive process. Elements from the toxic waste evaporate into the air and leach into the land, potentially creating the need for remedial action in the future from compromised environmental and human health.
The third common practice is solvent extraction which recovers some of the petroleum from the sludge before the waste is treated and disposed of in landfills. It’s an efficient method for small quantities of sludge, but inefficient for large scale operations. Further, after the petroleum is recovered, trucking the unusable hazardous waste to landfills increases liability, produces more carbon emissions and results in increased financial and environmental costs for the refinery.
Modernizing the Tank Waste Treatment Process is Better for the Environment and the Bottom Line
A shift to modernize tank waste treatment using Iron Creek’s Tech Zero and/or their ETC technology is a safer, more efficient way to treat oily tank sludge, delist the waste and shorten turnaround time for refinery operations.
Tech Zero technology vacuums the sludge from the tank to an indirect-fired, bin-based portable treatment unit that safely, treats a range of refinery wastes. Because Tech Zero units are mobile and compact, they require minimal space to operate, preventing disruption to the workflow.
Tech Zero’s modern approach recovers usable oils and fluids from the tank sludge and cycles them back into production. Further, the treatment of the tank sludge is fueled by the tank sludge itself, taking the waste and turning it into a usable agent to remediate the material.
After recovering reusable oils and fluids, the remaining sediment is a viable material for cement plants and metals industries to use in their manufacturing processes— a secondary revenue stream to off-set the costs of remediation.
For refineries already practicing land application farming of their tank waste, Iron Creek’s Enhanced Thermal Conduction (ETC) technology provides a sustainable, safe way to treat 100% of the waste, meeting the most stringent environmental regulations.
ETC cells are nimble and space-efficient, requiring small areas of land, though the technology is scalable and can efficiently treat large batches of material. Tank sludge is mixed with soil and layered on thermal conduction technology, enclosed and treated.
Like Tech Zero, the process is powered by the oily sludge so no additional fuel or power sources are needed to treat the tank waste. Treatment results in sterilized soil that will naturally revegetate with rainwater. This soil is proven safe for farming, gardening, fill-dirt and other residential applications.
There is no added cost to the refinery for staffing additional personnel to oversee tank waste treatment operations because the processes are managed by a small team of Iron Creek’s experts.
Iron Creek Group’s Technology is a Green Solution for Refineries
The push for companies to go green isn’t just a trend. Environmental regulations continue to tighten as the public puts more pressure on corporations to reduce their environmental footprint. Thus, the push for Exxon and other corporations to actively change their operational structure.
To comply with stringent EPA regulations, refinery managers should invest in Tech Zero or ETC technology. These treatment methods delist waste, increase efficiency, shorten turnaround times, minimize the cost of administrative labor and implement environmentally sustainable practices that can generate secondary sources of revenue.
Not only is the technology cost-effective, but it’s an environmentally responsible and viable solution for refinery tank waste management.
About Iron Creek Group
Serving North America, Iron Creek Group is an award-winning, innovative thermal soil remediation company that specializes in the thermal treatment of the most difficult wastes in the most challenging locations. Founded in 2015 by a team of environmental experts with vast backgrounds in waste removal, recycling and soil remediation, the group specializes in alternative soil remedial technologies that are proven, predictable, environmentally-friendly and cost effective. Learn how they’re leveraging technology to challenge the existing thermal remediation paradigm by visiting, https://www.ironcreekgroup.com
For questions and further information, please email Ken Bell: ken@ironcreekgroup.com.