Water Usage
quest.eb.com/search/132_1306013/1/132_1306013/cite. Accessed 1 Dec 2017.
Petroleum refining is an extremely water intensive process. According to the table adapted from Alva-Argaez et al., some of the main uses of water during the refining process are for desalting, distillation, thermal cracking, catalytic cracking, hydrocracking, and polymerization (Pombo et al., 173). With all these processes that use water, the amount of wastewater that is produced becomes an issue. As stated in the EPA article “Water and Energy Efficiency by Sectors”, “Refineries use about 1 to 2.5 gallons of water for every gallon of product.” That number does not take into account the amount of water that is used during other steps of accumulating and processing oil, which when totaled, makes oil extremely water reliant. The usage of water at petroleum refineries is something that should be controlled as we move towards a more sustainable future.
- Pombo, Felipe Ramalho, Alessandra Magrini, and Alexandre Szklo. “An Analysis of Water Management in Brazilian Petroleum Refineries Using Rationalization Techniques.” Resources, Conservation and Recycling 73 (2013): 172-179. Web. 17 Nov. 2017.
- United States Environmental Protection Agency. “Water & Energy Efficiency by Sectors.” EPA. United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2 Aug. 2017. Web. 22 Nov. 2017.
