10-06-2013

Siemens to supply wet air oxidation system to Qatar

Siemens Energy will supply a wet air oxidation ethylene spent caustic treatment system as part of an ethylene plant expansion. Customer is Qatar Petrochemical Company (QAPCO), one of the leading companies in the Middle East that produces and supplies ethylene. The Zimpro wet air oxidation (WAO) system from Siemens will be part of QAPCO’s facility in Mesaieed Industrial City, Qatar. The new WAO system will provide QAPCO with more efficient wastewater treatment while eliminating noxious spent caustic sulfide odors. The facility is expected to go operational in December, 2013.

QAPCO is expanding its Ethylene Cracking Unit from a current capacity of 720 kta to a new capacity of 900 kta. The Siemens scope of supply encompasses a Zimpro wet air oxidation system as well as a complete power management system for this project. The WAO will destroy odorous sulfide pollutants and generate a biodegradable effluent that can be discharged to conventional biological wastewater treatment. Zimpro wet air oxidation has been widely accepted as the preferred technology for safe and reliable treatment of spent caustic wastewater generated in ethylene plants. There have been nearly 40 systems installed for this application over the past 20 years.

Wet oxidation is the oxidation of soluble or suspended components in an aqueous environment using oxygen as the oxidizing agent. When air is used as the source of oxygen, the process is referred to as wet air oxidation (WAO). The system will oxidize odorous reduced sulfur compounds such as sulfides and mercaptides, and will also break down complex organic contaminants, such as phenols, to either carbon dioxide and water, or biodegradable organic materials.

Siemens announced in November 2012 to reorganize its activities in the water business. The company intends to focus in the future on automation and drive solutions for the control of water applications for municipalities and industry. The Business Unit known as Siemens Water Technologies, which offers solutions for municipal and industrial water purification and wastewater treatment, is to be sold along with the corresponding service activities. Additionally, the sale does not include Siemens Water Solutions, which is a part of the Siemens Energy Sector, Oil and Gas business, providing water and wastewater treatment solutions to the oil and gas market.