Water and Wastewater Management in a Petrochemical Raw Material Industry

Based on cleaner production concepts, a methodology for water use minimization has been developed by the Clean Technology Network of Bahia at one of the largest industrial complex in Latin America, in Camacari, Bahia, Brazil. Here we present the methodological tools and results of the water and wastewater minimization program at a petrochemical plant operated by Braskem's Raw Material Unit (UNIB) at this complex. The set of tools used includes reconciled aqueous stream balances, database of aqueous streams, definition and analysis of water and wastewater indicators, as well as regional analysis in a search for more environmentally friendly water sources. Water mass balances had to be built with assumed values as poor measurement or rather lack of water measurement is a constant inside the industrial complex. Because of this, the proposed indicators had to be analyzed with caution. The studies have identified the possibility of recovering about 1,500 m3(/)h of the overall 5,700 m(3)/h water consumed by the industrial complex at the moment. The effluent flow rate has been reduced by 250 m(3)/h since 2002. Process variability was found to be an important cause of both effluent generation in total flow rate and its continuity.