Alternatives to the Conventional Management of Spent Catalyst Abdullah Al-Duaiji
Environmental Engineer
Saudi Aramco
11/01/2017
© Copyright 2017, Saudi Aramco. All rights reserved.
2
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Outline
1Overview
2Spent Catalyst Current Practice
4Results
3Approach
5Path Forward
3
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Overview
Drilling & WorkoverOil & Gas Operations
Sources of Spent Catalysts in Saudi Aramco
4
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Overview
Sources of Spent Catalysts in Saudi Aramco
Refineries Gas/NGL Plants
HydrocrackersRheniformers
Sulfur Recovery Units (SRUs)
5
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Overview
Types of Catalysts
Refineries
Alumina /Titania Superclaus
Gas/NGL Plants
6
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Spent Catalyst Current Practice
In the Company, hazardous waste is tracked using an online manifesting system; which showed that huge quantities of spent catalyst is landfilled.
7
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Spent Catalyst Current Practice
95% of Spent Catalyst is Landfilled
8
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Approach
9
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Approach
10
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Approach The assessment included:
Literature Review
Collaboration with Company’s R&DC
Feedback from Operations
Survey Company’s Operations & Local Market
11
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
12
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
13
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Reactivity Test Residual carbon
Surface area and pore volume
Mechanical strength
Average length and particle
size distribution
Catalyst Poisoning
Testing
14
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
15
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning
Process Parameters
Temperature
Pressure
This should be performed in consultation with catalyst’s’ vendor, plants process engineers and R&DC
16
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
17
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Catalyst Regeneration
Regeneration
On-Site Off-Site
18
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Catalyst Regeneration
ROTO-LOUVRE Oven Technology
19
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
20
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Rejuvenation:
The process of restoring catalyst’s activity by removing both contaminant metals and coke deposit through certain processes.
• Further step to regeneration
21
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
22
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Precious Metal Recovery
Some Types of spent catalysts useful & valuable metals
Alumina Molybdenum Nickel
Cobalt Vanadium Platinum
23
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
24
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Reuse of the Spent Catalyst
Reuse of Spent Catalyst to form new catalyst compositions
Reuse of Spent Catalyst in Cement Process
Once physical and chemical properties as well as the catalytic activity are
completely lost, the spent catalyst can’t be used back in its original process
However, it might be used in another processes:
25
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Reuse of the Spent Catalyst
Reuse of Spent Catalyst to form new catalyst compositions
Fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) & Superclausspent catalysts
New Catalyst
26
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Reuse of the Spent Catalyst
Reuse of Spent Catalyst in Cement Process
Feed Stock Product
Manufacture of Portland cement using spent superclaus catalyst“AlShafei, M.A., US patent no. 8,029,618”
27
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Contamination Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
28
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Spent Catalyst Disposal
Ultimately the spent catalyst could be disposed of at Class I or Class II
landfills.”
Prior disposal the following should be taken into account and performed:
• Toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP)
• Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH)
29
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
Sampling and Analyzing Spent Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Contamination Catalyst Regeneration
Catalyst Rejuvenation
Spent Catalyst DisposalReuse of the Spent Catalyst
Precious Metal Recovery
1
5
3
6
4
2
30
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results Fresh Catalyst
Mitigation of Catalyst Poisoning
Yes
Sampling and Analyzing
No
Catalyst Regeneration Yes
Catalyst Rejuvenation
No
Yes
Precious Metal Recovery
No
Metal Reclamation Yes
Reuse of the Spent Catalyst
No
Spent Catalyst Disposal
No
Reuse in Cement ProcessYes
Form New Catalyst
Cement FactoryYes
No
Catalyst Vendor/MarketYesNo
31
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Results
32
Saudi Aramco: Company General Use
Path forward
• Monitor Best Practice Implementation by SaudiAramco Facilities,
• Keep abreast of new technologies and practices,
• Partner with industries to explore opportunity forreuse or recycle spent catalysts.
Thank you