SINOKLE's Innovative KHC Coalescing Oil-Water Separator - Efficient and Environmentally Friendly Treatment of Emulsified Oil Wastewater

In industries such as petrochemicals and power generation, oil-containing wastewater treatment is an ongoing environmental challenge. From oilfield produced water to refinery effluent, and from power plant desulfurization wastewater to tank area drainage, various types of oil-containing wastewater are prevalent throughout industrial production.

However, the most difficult wastewater to treat is not the easily separable “floating oil,” but the highly emulsified “emulsified oil.” Emulsified oil is dispersed in water as tiny oil droplets, typically just a few microns or smaller. Due to the presence of surfactants, these droplets remain suspended in water without naturally separating. Traditional methods like gravity settling and oil separation pools are ineffective for treating emulsified oil.

In China, for instance, industries such as petrochemicals and power generation produce billions of tons of emulsified oil wastewater annually. Improper treatment causes severe environmental pollution and a significant waste of valuable oil resources.

The difficulty in treating emulsified oil arises from several factors:

1. Small Droplet Size: The oil droplets in emulsified oil range from 0.1-10 microns in diameter, much smaller than floating oil. The bubbles generated by conventional flotation systems (50-100 microns) cannot effectively capture these tiny droplets.

2. High Stability: Emulsified oil droplets are coated with surfactants, forming stable "oil-in-water" or "water-in-oil" structures, making it difficult to separate oil and water with ordinary physical methods.

3. Complex Composition: Emulsified wastewater contains not only oil but also suspended solids, mud, and chemical additives, complicating treatment.

Traditionally, chemical demulsification has been used to treat emulsified oil by adding demulsifiers to break the emulsion and separate the oil and water. However, this method requires continuous chemical dosing, is costly, and can lead to secondary pollution.

Although chemical demulsification is widely used, it has several issues:

· High Chemical Costs: The ongoing purchase of demulsifiers is a significant expense over time.

· Large Sludge Volume: The chemical reaction generates a large amount of oily sludge, which is difficult to dispose of.

· Instability: Treatment efficiency fluctuates with water quality changes.

· Secondary Pollution: Chemical residue can create new environmental issues.

Is there a method that can efficiently remove emulsified oil without using chemicals? Shenzhen Clear Science & Technology Co., Ltd (SINOKLE) offers the solution: the KHC Coalescing Oil-Water Separator.

This device uses a purely physical method to efficiently remove emulsified oil, relying on specially modified, super-oleophilic and hydrophobic coalescing fibers.

The core technology of the KHC Coalescing Oil-Water Separator involves four synergistic actions: 

1. Centrifugal Separation: Centrifugal force is used to achieve initial oil-water separation, removing most of the free oil.

2. Wet Coalescing: When emulsified oil passes through coalescing materials, the oil droplets are captured by the fiber surface and gradually coalesce into larger oil beads.

3. Collision Coalescing: Oil droplets collide with each other as they pass through the filter media, further merging into larger droplets.

4. Intercepting Filtration: Fine filtration traps residual small oil droplets and suspended solids.

After passing through these four stages, emulsified oil is efficiently removed, and the water meets discharge standards.

Compared to traditional chemical demulsification, the KHC Coalescing Oil-Water Separator offers significant advantages:

1. High Removal Efficiency: It can remove emulsified oil droplets as small as 0.1 microns, with an oil removal rate exceeding 95%. Even highly emulsified wastewater can meet stringent standards.

2. Short Retention Time: The wastewater remains in the device for less than 3 minutes, achieving high efficiency with a small footprint.

3. Strong Impurity Resistance: The device can simultaneously remove suspended solids, adapt to complex water qualities, and resist clogging.

4. Long Filter Life: The modular filter design is easy to replace, and the coalescing filter lasts 2-5 times longer than conventional products.

5. No Chemicals: Working on a purely physical principle, it requires no chemical additives, effectively preventing secondary pollution.

6. Low Operating Costs: There is no need for continuous chemical procurement, significantly reducing long-term operating costs compared to chemical methods.

Typical Case:

In a cogeneration project in Shaanxi Province, China, the oil-containing wastewater had an oil concentration of up to 500,000 ppm (about 50%), posing a great challenge. SINOKLE used a "pre-filter + KHC Coalescing Oil-Water Separator" combination, reducing the oil concentration to below 5 ppm and achieving over 99% oil removal, well exceeding discharge standards.

In the context of increasingly stringent environmental regulations, physical oil removal technology is becoming a new trend in the industry. The KHC Coalescing Oil-Water Separator offers an efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly new solution for emulsified oil wastewater treatment.