Can polyaluminum chloride coagulant be used to treat petroleum wastewater?

This work investigates the potential synthesis of cost-effective polyaluminum chloride (PACl) coagulant from waste household aluminum foil and utilization for treating petroleum wastewater (PWW), especially dissolved organic compounds (DOC, like octanol–water mixture) and nonsettleable suspended (NSS-kaolin) mineral particles.

Does PACL coagulant remove octanol and turbidity from petroleum wastewater?

The effectiveness of PACl coagulant in treating petroleum wastewater was evaluated, especially towards removing DOC (in terms of octanol–water mixture) and turbidity (i.e., colloidal NSS-based kaolin mineral particulates).

Can PACL coagulant improve the economic viability of petroleum wastewater coagulation?

Since waste aluminum foil is often readily available at a lower cost than traditional aluminum sources, the prepared PACl coagulant could increase the economic viability of coagulation treatment of petroleum wastewater through cost savings during the synthesis method.

How does hydronium affect PACL polymerization?

The higher hydronium (H +) ions at acidic conditions also negatively impacted the degree of PACl polymerization by affecting the hydroxyl (Al–OH–Al) and oxygen (Al–O–Al) bridges. These positively charged PACl hydrolyzates might adsorb on the negatively charged NSS-kaolin particles, destabilizing the colloidal stability and the “sweep floc” growth.

Can alumina foil-driven PACL coagulation treatment of oilfield wastewater be scalable?

Overall, the research findings demonstrated that scalability in the waste alumina foil-driven PACl coagulation treatment of oilfield wastewater is achievable but requires careful planning, monitoring, and adaptation to account for the specific challenges posed by the larger volume and variability of oilfield wastewater composition.

How is PACL coagulant formed?

Under continuous stirring, the NaOH solution (1 M) was added dropwise to the above alumina solution mixture to reach a pH value of 9 ± 0.5 and achieve an OH/Al molar ratio of 2. These conditions stimulated the formation of polyaluminum chloride (PACl) coagulant as a white gel product.