Abstract:
The industrial process condensate like phosphate fertilizer manufacture and petroleum
refining contains hazardous compounds like hydrofluoric acid (HF), ammonia (NH3), and
ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3). These substances are however toxic to the environment and
to human health if not well managed. This thesis describes a new overall process that
employs steam stripping, ion exchange, neutralization, evaporation, and crystallization to
remove these impurities and obtain ammonium nitrate, an important fertilizer. It is a fast,
effective and easy-to-implement technology that contrasts with the other treatment
technologies. Combining mass and energy balances, equipment design and economic
assessment proves that this new concept is feasible and can yield substantial benefits.
Furthermore, there is a Hazard and Operability (HAZOP) study that examines possible
hazards related to the process and methods to eliminate them to guarantee the process
runs safely and efficiently. In this thesis, sustainable methods for treating process
condensate wastewater for industries are developed.
