Efficient Solutions for Treating Oil-Containing Wastewater in Power Plants: A Green Approach to Sustainability

The power industry is the backbone of the economy, with thermal power generation playing a pivotal role. However, during the power generation process, power plants generate a significant amount of industrial wastewater, among which oil-containing wastewater presents a major environmental challenge.

Whether it's the oil-contaminated wastewater generated during boiler cleaning, wastewater from the desulfurization system, or oil discharge during turbine maintenance, these wastewater streams, if not treated properly before being discharged, can cause severe environmental pollution and potentially violate increasingly strict environmental regulations. Particularly in recent years, countries have continuously raised discharge standards for industrial enterprises, making the treatment of oil-containing wastewater in power plants an unavoidable issue.

The "difficulty" in treating oil-containing wastewater from power plants lies in its complexity. This type of wastewater typically contains a variety of pollutants:

· Crude oil and lubricating oil: from equipment maintenance, pipeline cleaning, etc.

· Suspended solids: including mud, rust, and other solid particles

· Chemical agents: residues of various chemicals used in water treatment

· High salinity: especially in desulfurization wastewater, which has extremely high salinity

Even more challenging, the characteristics of oil-containing wastewater vary greatly depending on the source. Some have oil concentrations of only tens of ppm, while others can be as high as hundreds of thousands of ppm. This tremendous variability poses a great challenge for designing and operating the treatment process.

Traditional treatment methods have notable shortcomings: oil separators take up large areas and have unstable performance; dissolved air flotation systems are ineffective at removing emulsified oils; and chemical treatment methods often lead to secondary pollution. Power plants urgently need an efficient, cost-effective, and stable solution.

To address the industry pain points in power plant oil-containing wastewater treatment, Shenzhen Clear Science & Technology Co., Ltd (SINOKLE) has leveraged years of technical experience to offer a comprehensive treatment solution tailored to power plant oil-containing wastewater.

Core Technology 1: Cyclonic Dissolved-gas Flotation Unit (CDFU)

The core innovation of this technology lies in combining cyclonic separation with dissolved-gas flotation. In simple terms, it enables efficient oil-water separation by using the centrifugal force field generated by high-speed rotation.

Core Technology 2: KHC Coalescing Oil Separator

This device uses special coalescing materials to gradually merge tiny oil droplets dispersed in water into larger oil droplets, thus achieving oil-water separation. Compared to traditional equipment, the KHC Coalescing Oil Separator significantly improves the treatment of emulsified oils, making it especially suitable for treating wastewater with fluctuating oil content and small oil droplet sizes. 

Core Technology 3: KFM Activated Filter-media Filter

The KFM filter uses a specially formulated activated filter media, which not only efficiently removes suspended solids but also further adsorbs residual oils. The filter media is backwashable, leading to low long-term operational costs.

Advantages of the Combined Process

SINOKLE tailors treatment solutions by flexibly combining the above technologies according to the specific needs of different power plants. This combined process has the following advantages:

· Wide treatment range: Capable of handling wastewater with oil content ranging from tens of ppm to hundreds of thousands of ppm.

· Excellent performance: The treated effluent can have an oil content of less than 5 ppm, with a removal rate exceeding 99%.

· Stable operation: Highly automated with no need for dedicated on-site personnel.

· No secondary pollution: Purely physical treatment with no need for chemical agents.

Typical Cases

· Case 1: A Cogeneration Project in Shaanxi Province, China

The oil-containing wastewater generated by this power plant had an oil content as high as 500,000 ppm (50% oil), making it extremely difficult to treat. SINOKLE used a "filter + KHC coalescing oil separator" combined process, and the final effluent oil content was reduced to below 5 ppm, with a removal rate exceeding 99%, far surpassing the discharge standards.

· Case 2: Heavy Oil Power Plant Wastewater Treatment Project in Sierra Leone

This project employed a "CDFU + CDFU + KFM" three-stage treatment process, with excellent results: the influent had an oil content of less than 50 mg/L and suspended solids less than 80 mg/L. After treatment, the effluent oil content was below 10 mg/L and suspended solids were less than 20 mg/L, with all indicators meeting discharge standards.

Environmental Responsibility for Green Power

Under the guidance of Net-zero goals, green and low-carbon development has become the main theme of the power industry. The efficient treatment of oil-containing wastewater in power plants not only concerns environmental compliance but is also an essential part of a power plant's social responsibility and sustainable development. By focusing on technological innovation, SINOKLE provides efficient and reliable oil-containing wastewater treatment solutions to support the development of green power.