Catalytic wet oxidation of stripped sour water from an oil-shale refining process

The catalytic wet oxidation of an organics-laden wastewater produced during oil-shale refining (stripped sour water) was investigated using a high-pressure reaction system. The effects of different catalysts and catalyst loads were investigated under standard optimal reaction conditions that had been previously determined. Tests were also done on monometallic and bimetallic catalytic systems. It was found that Cu(NO3)(2) exhibited the best catalytic properties at a load of 33.3 mmol/L. The removal of catalyst, odor, and residual organics from treated solutions by adsorption using activated carbon was also studied to assess whether the environmental acceptability of the process could be improved. It was found that 64% of the Cu used could be taken up by adsorption alone, and up to 99.8% Cu removal could be achieved through a combination of precipitation, filtration, and absorptive techniques. Odor was also significantly reduced, and total organic carbon removal could be improved from 65% using CWO alone to 83.7% after adsorption