Energy and Environmental Optimization of a Bituminous Waterproofing Plant for BTEX Emission Mitigation using Incinerator and Oxidation Method

Aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene isomers (BTEX) are hazardous air pollutants from industrial processes which have raised many concerns recently. In particular, Bituminous waterproofing (BW) plants are one of the major sources of BTEX compounds. Elimination of these toxic compounds, even in small amounts requires careful attention to modify and improve process performance. In this study, the process of removing BTEX contaminants from a BW production plant has been accomplished by simulation using Aspen Hysys software. In this regard, the process modification based on the Incinerator designing and using the thermal oxidation method has been evaluated. The optimization study involves the analysis of key variables such as temperature and residence time for optimization. According to the results, the incinerator’s control efficiency (CF) in removing BTEX pollutants is reported to be 98.5%. Moreover, the energy consumption index has reduced fuel consumption by 23% compared to the system s performance without an incinerator in the same CF.