DESIGN OF COST-EFFECTIVE NOVEL TREATMENT OF PROCESS CONDENSATE CONTAINING HF, AMMONIA & AMMONIUM NITRATE

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.