Canadian Oil Refinery to Reuse 100 Percent of Water with New Wastewater Treatment Technology
Once fully operational this will be the only refinery in North America to recycle all wastewater for steam production, with the GE ZeeWeed Membrane Bioreactor and Reverse Osmosis Technology.
GE recently announced that Federated Co-Operatives Limited’s Co-op Refinery Complex in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, is installing GE’s advanced water recycling technology for a wastewater improvement project that will enable the refinery to clean 100 percent of its wastewater on-site. Once fully operationally, the Co-op Refinery Complex will be the only refinery in North America to recycle all of its wastewater for steam production, which is used for heating, hydrogen production, to power equipment and for cooling towers.
“Water is a precious resource and our wastewater improvement project allows us to be efficient and sustainable by recovering every drop of water. With GE’s technology, the Co-op Refinery Complex will clean and recycle all of its wastewater in a socially responsible and environmentally sound way to conserve water for Regina and the entire province of Saskatchewan,” said Gil Le Dressay, vice president, refinery operations, Federated Co-Operatives Limited.
Several years ago the refinery expanded its operations to produce 30,000 more barrels of oil per day (BPD) taking it from 100,000 BPD to a 130,000-BPD facility, which increased its water usage. The refinery’s current water source is a blend of well water and city water, and restrictions on water use mandated that the Co-op Refinery Complex had to find a new source of water. GE offered a solution combining ZeeWeed membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology and a high-efficiency reverse osmosis (HERO) system to recycle and reuse 2 million gallons of wastewater a day. In addition to the water reuse solution, GE provides the refinery with wastewater specialty chemicals and monitoring solutions to provide system optimization.
After commissioning, the refinery will reduce its use of freshwater by 28 percent, which is the equivalent of approximately 3,100 households in Regina, on an annual basis. By recycling 100 percent of its wastewater on-site, the Co-op Refinery Complex will significantly decrease volatile organic compound emissions from its wastewater ponds and reduce the associated nuisance odors. The wastewater improvement project is expected to be fully operational by the fall of 2016.
“Refineries require an enormous amount of water. Treating the wastewater and reusing it is economical and environmentally friendly. In the case of the Co-op Refinery Complex, the expansion required a new source of water. GE’s MBR and RO technologies will help the refinery recycle 100 percent of its wastewater, which is a sustainable and environmentally friendly option,” said Kevin Cassidy, global leader, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power.