Surge MBR at BPCL Bina Refinery: Effluent Treatment

Introduction

Water management is a critical aspect of petroleum refining operations, where large volumes of wastewater are generated from various processes, including crude

processing, cooling, and chemical treatment. Effective treatment of refinery effluent is essential to ensure operational reliability, regulatory compliance, and sustainable water reuse.

BPCL Bina Refinery, one of India’s major petroleum refining facilities, handles complex effluent streams characterized by high turbidity, suspended solids, organic load, COD, and BOD. To address these challenges and enhance the performance of its Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), BPCL Bina Refinery partnered with Theway Membranes to deploy Surge MBR Membranes. This case study highlights the successful implementation and long-term performance of Surge MBR technology at the refinery.

The Challenge

Refinery effluent poses significant treatment challenges due to fluctuating feed water quality and high contaminant loading. At BPCL Bina Refinery, the ETP faced the following key issues:

• High Turbidity & Suspended Solids: Effluent water contained turbidity levels up to 90 NTU and TSS up to 60 ppm, increasing fouling risk.

• Elevated COD & BOD: High organic load demanded a robust biological treatment solution.

• Membrane Reliability: Existing MBR systems required consistent performance without frequent module replacement.

• Operational Costs: Fouling, cleaning frequency, and downtime directly impacted O&M costs.

• Regulatory Compliance: Treated water needed to meet stringent discharge and reuse norms consistently.

To overcome these challenges, BPCL Bina Refinery required a durable, high-performance MBR solution capable of handling variable effluent conditions while delivering stable permeate quality.

The Solution: Surge MBR Membranes

The refinery selected Surge MBR Membranes from Theway Membranes, engineered specifically for demanding industrial wastewater applications. Surge MBR combines biological treatment with membrane filtration, ensuring superior solids separation and high-quality permeate.

Key Features of Stream UF Membranes:

1. Robust MBR Technology: Effectively removes suspended solids, organic matter, COD, and BOD even under high-load conditions.

2. High Fouling Resistance: Designed to withstand high turbidity and fluctuating feed parameters without performance loss.

3. Consistent Permeate Quality: Produces stable, low-turbidity treated water suitable for reuse or safe discharge.

4. Durability & Longevity: Proven operation for over a year without module replacement.

5. Cost-Efficient Operation: Reduced cleaning frequency, lower maintenance effort, and minimized downtime.

   
   

Deployment at  BPCL Bina Refinery

The Surge MBR system was installed in the refinery’s ETP plant with a treatment capacity of approximately 2.6 MLD. The deployment involved seamless integration with the existing infrastructure, which previously included Veolia – ZeeWeed 500D modules.

Key Deployment Highlights

• Location: BPCL Bina Refinery

• Technology: Surge MBR Membranes

• Source Water: ETP Effluent

• Industry Segment: Petroleum Refinery

• Our Module: TW-MBR-40

• Commissioning & PGTR: 2024

Theway Membranes provided technical support, commissioning assistance, and performance validation to ensure stable and reliable system operation.

Results and Impact

The field validation of Surge MBR Membranes at BPCL Bina Refinery demonstrated outstanding and consistent performance under varying effluent conditions.

Key Results Achieved

• Superior Permeate Quality:

  • Turbidity: < 0.5 NTU

  • Suspended Solids: < 1 ppm

  • SDI: < 3Achieved consistently over 9 months, even with feed turbidity up to 90 NTU and SDI > 5.

• Operational Stability:Surge MBR membranes maintained reliable operation for over one year without module replacement, despite high organic and solids loading.

• Reduced Fouling & Maintenance:Improved fouling resistance minimized cleaning frequency and reduced operational interruptions.

• Regulatory Compliance:Treated effluent consistently met refinery discharge and reuse standards, ensuring environmental compliance.

• Cost Savings:Long membrane life, reduced downtime, and stable performance resulted in lower overall O&M costs.

  
  

Conclusion

The successful implementation of Surge MBR Membranes at BPCL Bina Refinery demonstrates Theway Membranes’ expertise in delivering reliable and high-performance solutions for complex industrial wastewater treatment. The system effectively handled high turbidity, suspended solids, COD, and BOD, while consistently producing high-quality permeate.

By adopting Surge MBR technology, BPCL Bina Refinery achieved enhanced ETP performance, long-term operational stability, regulatory compliance, and improved sustainability. This case study reinforces the role of advanced MBR membrane technology in supporting efficient and responsible water management in the petroleum refining industry.

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