As the challenge of recycling oily hazardous waste grows, thermal desorption unit (TDU) offers a sustainable solution. Through a controlled heating process, this unit effectively breaks down oily waste to valuable resources such as fuel oil and syngas. Overall, thermal desorption system meets the urgent need for effective waste management while supporting the sustainable development of oily waste management industry.
In-Depth Analysis of Thermal Desorption Technology
The working logic of thermal desorption unit is similar to pyrolysis unit. It uses high temperature to increase volatility and thermal decomposition properties of pollutants, thereby removing them from solid matrices. Oily wastes contain petroleum components and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which cause many hazards when treated irrationally. These hydrocarbon mixtures are more easily thermally decomposed from solid matrices under high temperature conditions. Therefore, this technology is an excellent choice for recycling oily wastes.
Versatile Applications of Thermal Desorption Unit Across Industries
Petroleum Derived Oil Sludge Recycling
Waste Sources:
- Mining & Storage: During the mining and storage of oil, oil-based drilling cuttings, oil-based mud, tank bottom oil sludge, etc. are formed.
- Refining: Refineries are also the main source of oil sludge. It mainly comes from the wastewater treatment stage.
- Shipyards: During the maintenance and operation of ships, some heavy oil hydrocarbon pollutants accumulate as oil sludge.
Problems Solved:
- Effective Recovery of Oil: Thermal desorption unit for drill cuttings can recover high-value oil from these high-oil content oil sludge. Thus, this unit obtains reusable oil products.
- Reduce Ecological Burden: The oily substances/solid components in the sludge are treated harmlessly, thus avoiding damage to the ecological environment.
Oil-contaminated Soil Remediation
Waste Sources:
- Crude Oil Spills: Leaks occur during crude oil gathering and transportation. Leakage incidents can cause soil and pollution.
- Oily Pollutant Emissions: Oily pollutants from industrial activities such as steel smelting can seep into the soil.
- Oily Waste Storage Facilities: Oily waste storage facilities such as lagoons release large amounts of oily pollutants into the soil during dismantling and use.
Problems Solved:
- Soil Improvement: TDU can remove oily harmful substances from the soil and restore the soil to a state suitable for vegetation growth.
- Protecting Groundwater: Treating oil-contaminated soil can prevent oily pollutants from seeping into groundwater. This protects the quality of the water source.
Industrial Oily Hazardous Waste Treatment
Waste Sources:
- Coal Tar: During coal gasification, this pollutant which contains a large amount of harmful polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons is produced. Its byproducts also include waste coal tar residue.
- Mineral Oil: Mineral oil is widely used in mechanical equipment in industrial manufacturing. It will become waste mineral oil due to aging or pollution.
- Emulsion: Emulsion is used for metal and mechanical processing. Waste emulsion that has reached the end of its service life contains oil, chemical additives and heavy metals.
Problems Solved:
- Harmless Treatment: Such a oil sludge treatment plant removes harmful components from hazardous wastes. The treated waste meets environmental standards
- Reduce Operating Costs: By establishing thermal desorption unit, investors can not only recover usable resources from oily waste. In addition, this can reduce high third-party treatment costs.
Comprehensive Overview of Thermal Desorption Unit
TDU unit is an integrated equipment for the treatment of oily waste. The unit includes several key components: reactor, condensation system, solid discharge system and dust removal system. This unit is designed to separate volatile hydrocarbons from oily waste in a high temperature and micro-oxygen environment. As a result, efficient thermal pyrolysis process converts the waste into fuel oil, syngas and solid residue. In addition, specialized waste gas treatment facilities enable it to meet emission standards.
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Thermal Desorption Unit for Sale in Different Operating Designs
Batch TDU
- Model: BLJ-16;
- Capacity: 16T/d;
- One furnace per day;
| Model | BLJ-16 Standard | BLJ-16 TDU | BLJ-16 ULTRA | BLL-30 |
| Manufacturer | BESTON | BESTON | BESTON | BESTON |
| Time to Market | 2013 | 2013 | 2022 | 2024 |
| Motor Brand | Chinese brand | Chinese brand | ABB Explosion-proof | Chinese brand |
| Suitable Raw Materials | Oil soil with liquid content<30% | Oil sludge; Landing oil sludge; Drilling waste; Tank bottom oil sludge | Waste plastics; Tires; Oil sludge | Waste plastics; Tires; Oil sludge |
| Input Capacity (Max.) | 16-18t/batch | 16-18t/batch | Waste plastic bales: 8-10t/batch Whole tire <120cm or Tire blocks<15cm: 10-12t/batch Sidewall removed tire: 15-16t/batch Oil sludge: 16-18t/batch | Waste plastic pellets: 0.8-1.05t/h Rubber powder: 1.25-1.5t/h Oil sludge:1.8-2.3t/h |
| Working Method | Batch | Batch | Batch | Fully Continuous |
| Final Oil Quality | Pyrolysis oil | Pyrolysis oil | Pyrolysis oil Pyrolysis oil with wax or naphtha | Pyrolysis oil Pyrolysis oil with wax or naphtha |
| Reactor Materil | Q345R Boiler steel | 304 Stainless steel | 304 Stainless steel | 304/310S Stainless steel |
| Reactor Life Span (Years) | 2-3 | 5-8 | 5-8 | 5-8 |
| Guarantee (Months) | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| Delivery Time (Calendar Days) | 45 | 60 | 90 | 150 |
| Land Space Required (L*W*H*m) | 33*13*8 | 33*13*8 | 33*26*8 | 70*20*10 |
| Packing | 1*40FR+3*40HQ | 1*40FR+3*40HQ | 1*40FR+8*40HQ | 20*6*3m in bulk+13*40HQ |
| Installation Period (Calendar Days) | 45 | 45 | 60 | 90 |
Working Process of Thermal Desorption Unit: Step-by-Step Guide
The following takes thermal desorption equipment in continuous operation mode as an example to show the operation process. You can also visit our YouTube to browse more video resources.
Oily Waste Feeding
First, the oily hazardous waste is transported to the main furnace. Different liquid contents have different transportation methods:
- Liquid content below 40%: belt conveyor;
- Liquid content 40%-60%: shaftless screw;
- Liquid content above 75%: sludge pump.
01
Thermal Desorption Process
- As the temperature of pyrolysis reactor gradually increases, the long-chain petroleum hydrocarbon compounds in the oily waste begin to thermally decompose.
- In a high-temperature, micro-oxygen environment, the small-molecule hydrocarbon compounds formed by the reaction are gasified.
- Thermal desorption unit removes volatile components that pose a threat to the environment. The oily sludge forms harmless solid residues.
02
Fuel Oil & Syngas Separation
- Oil gas enters the header to separate heavy oil impurities.
- The condensable components in the oil gas enter the condenser to form fuel oil, which is stored in the oil tank.
- Water seal purifies the non-condensable components in the high-temperature oil and gas to form syngas, which contains CO, H₂.
- Syngas enters the combustion system. It replaces fossil fuels to provide heat for the reaction.
03
Solid Residue Discharge
- After the oily hazardous waste in the reactor is fully reacted, the screw conveyor discharges the solid residue.
- Solid residue enters the water-cooled screw discharger from the screw conveyor.
- Cooling water in the discharger exchanges heat with the high-temperature solid residue to cool it down.
- Solid residue treated by the three water-cooled screw discharger is cooled to 50-80℃.
04
Waste Gas Treatment
Since oily waste is mostly hazardous waste, its emission standards are relatively strict. Customers who choose TDU unit often choose to adopt a high-end exhaust gas treatment system.
- First, heat exchangers cool down the high-temperature waste gas.
- Then, cooled waste gas enters the chemical tower for desulfurization and denitrification.
- Treated waste gas enters the electrostatic precipitator and activated carbon dust collector for dust removal.
- Finally, chimney discharges the purified exhaust gas.
05
Thermal Desorption System Achieves Three-Phase Resource Recovery
Thermal desorption unit has the ability to convert waste into liquid phase (fuel oil), solid phase (harmless residue) and gas phase (sygas). They all have a systematic formation process and excellent utilization value.
Liquid: Fuel Oil
- Sold directly as commodity oil.
- Used as an alternative energy source to power various industrial production activities.
- Obtain non-standard diesel with higher value after distillation.
Gas: Syngas
- Used as fuel to power the thermal desorption plant.
- Used as clean fuel or sold after collection.
Solid: Harmless Residue
- Used as building materials such as permeable bricks.
- Used as filler such as oil well anti-collapse filling.
- Used as construction aggregate for road paving.
Technical Advantages of Thermal Desorption Equipment
Avoid Coking
Coking can significantly reduce the heat transfer efficiency of the reactor, thus affecting production efficiency. Through the anti-coking technology of mechanical structure + thermal chemical cleaning, we can effectively remove coking materials. This technology can increase production efficiency by up to 200%, ensuring efficient production.
Clean Emission
We provide a high-end tail gas treatment system (standard for BLL-30). It uses advanced flue gas cooling, dust removal, desulfurization and denitrification technology. Through this system, the emissions of the equipment can meet EU environmental standards, ensuring that production emissions comply with local regulations of the project.
High Applicability
Beston thermal desorption unit has excellent adaptability and can handle various types of oily waste. According to the characteristics of the raw materials, the system can flexibly configure the feeding/conveying equipment, main furnace materials and other key components. This ensures that the treatment meets the customized needs of customers.
Health Protection
The equipment can use Morgan high-temperature ceramic wool, which is carcinogenic. The installation and construction are safer. This ensures the health and safety of operators in high-temperature working environments. This technology not only meets industry safety standards, but also reflects our high attention to the health of operators.
Projects of Beston Thermal Desorption Plant Over the World
Beston thermal desorption unit has matured in operation in many pyrolysis plant projects around the world, including Nigeria, Oman, Chile, China, etc. The shipment and installation process of Beston machines went smoothly. And, these projects are running well. Beston equipment and services have been widely praised by customers. See the following cases.
What Are You Waiting For?
Beston thermal desorption units could help customers to process solid materials that contain oil. When operating this machine, the work environment is safe and clean. And there is no pollution to the local environment. Moreover, Beston provides a series of services to support customers. If you need this machine, contact Beston right now.
