Processes for the treatment of waste streams from the hydroconversion of heavy hydrocarbons containing additives and catalysts are described. At least one of the SHC pitch stream, SDA pitch stream, and the heavy residue stream is sent to a thermal oxidation system. The metals in the SHC and SDA pitch streams and the heavy residue stream are oxidized and can be easily recovered as clean powdered metal oxides which can be reused or sold. The processes produce chemicals which can be recovered and sold.

A process for treating effluent streams in a naphtha complex is described. One or more of the sour water stripping unit for the NHT sour water from the NHT, the amine treatment unit and the caustic treatment unit for the NHT stripper off-gas, the caustic scrubber unit or other chloride treatment unit for the off-gas from the C.sub.5-C.sub.6 isomerization zone and the C.sub.4 isomerization zone, and the caustic scrubber unit or other chloride treatment unit for the regenerator off-gas are replaced with a thermal oxidation system.

A process for the treatment of waste water, spent air, and hydrocarbon containing liquid and gaseous streams in the cumene/phenol complex is described. Various effluent streams are combined in appropriate collection vessels, including a spent air knockout drum, a hydrocarbon buffer vessel, a fuel gas knockout drum, a phenolic water vessel, and a non-phenolic water vessel. Streams from these vessels are sent to a thermal oxidation system.

A system and method for determining a remaining processing capacity of a scrubber having a flow path and a processing material disposed along the flow path. A device may comprise a plurality of optical sensors disposed within the processing material and arranged along the flow path, a light source, and a processor for determining the capacity according to signals received from the optical sensor. The device may be used to illuminate processing material adjacent to each optical sensor using the light source, measure a light value reflected by the processing material at each optical sensor, and determine the remaining processing capacity of the scrubber, using the processor, based on the measured light value. Devices may comprise a memory, such as a non-volatile memory to allow multiple uses of a scrubber without reloading with fresh processing material.

The present invention relates to an adsorbent comprising an alumina support and at least one alkali element, said adsorbent being obtained by introducing at least one alkali element, identical to or different from sodium, onto an alumina support the sodium content of which, expressed as Na.sub.2O equivalent, before the introduction of the alkali element or elements, is comprised between 1000 and 5000 ppm by weight with respect to the total weight of the support. The invention also relates to processes for the preparation of said adsorbent and use thereof in a process for the elimination of acidic molecules such as COS and/or CO.sub.2.

A process for treating effluent streams in a renewable transportation fuel production process is described. One or more of the sour water stream and an acid gas stream are treated directly in thermal oxidation section. The process allows the elimination or size reduction of a sour water stripper unit, waste water treatment plant, and sulfur recovery unit.

Embodiments of the disclosure pertain to an apparatus comprising a phase separator configured to separate a mixture comprising (i) water containing NaCl and (ii) oil and/or gas into separate streams comprising the water, the oil (when oil is in the mixture), and the gas (when gas is in the mixture), an electrochemical membrane separation cell configured to separate sodium and chloride ions in the water stream to form a stream comprising a first sodium hydroxide solution and a stream comprising (i) hydrochloric acid and/or (ii) chlorine gas, a compressor configured to compress a gas containing CO.sub.2, a spray dryer configured to mix aqueous NaOH and the compressed gas to form sodium carbonate, and a cyclone separator configured separate the sodium carbonate from any excess components of the aqueous NaOH and/or the compressed gas.

To provide a method for predicting a deactivation phenomenon in a flue-gas desulfurization unit to prevent the occurrence of the deactivation phenomenon before it happens. There is provided a method for preventing the occurrence of a deactivation phenomenon in a flue-gas desulfurization unit that treats flue gas of a coal-fired boiler, the method includes calculating a deactivation potential as an index of the deactivation phenomenon based on alkaline components such as Na, Ca, Mg, and K contained in ash in the flue gas, and performing an operation management, such as adjustment of set value of a pH control system, on the flue-gas desulfurization unit depending on change of the deactivation potential.

Disclosed herein is a system for purifying air; for the capture of solid residues (soot), and the transformation of CO.sub.x and NO.sub.x (and even methane) present in contaminated air generated by industrial combustion.

The purifying air system comprises an air entrance (c); a first module (A), made up of mechanical filters; a second module (B), downwards from the first module (A), and it corresponds to a series of small reactors with molecular converters (nucleophile chemical agents) to capture and transform carbon oxides (CO.sub.x) and nitrogen oxides (NO.sub.x); and an exit for decontaminated air (D).

The present disclosure provides a method for processing an acid gas, comprising: using a processor 1 for receiving and processing the acid gas to obtain a gas phase stream 1 and a liquid phase stream 2, wherein the stream 2 is partially or completely recycled to the processor 1; using a processor 2 for processing the stream 1 from the processor 1 to obtain a gas phase stream 3 and a liquid phase stream 4; using a processor 3 for processing the stream 3 from the processor 2 to obtain a gas phase stream 5 and a liquid phase stream 6; and using a processor 4 for receiving the stream 43 from the processor 2 and using the stream 43 as a processing solution for processing the stream 5 from the processor 3 to obtain a gas phase stream 7 and a liquid phase stream 8, which can be divided into two sub-streams including a stream 81 and a stream 82. The present disclosure further provides an apparatus for processing an acid gas.