Effluent Guidelines

Petroleum Refining Effluent Guidelines

Petroleum refinery photoEPA promulgated the Petroleum Refining Effluent Guidelines and Standards (40 CFR Part 419) in 1974 and amended the regulations in 1975, 1977, 1982 and 1985. The regulations cover wastewater discharges at over 140 refineries across the country. The effluent guidelines and standards are incorporated into NPDES permits for direct dischargersHelpdirect dischargerA point source that discharges pollutants to waters of the United States, such as streams, lakes, or oceans., and permits or other control mechanisms for indirect dischargersHelpindirect dischargerA facility that discharges pollutants to a publicly owned treatment works (municipal sewage treatment plant). (see Pretreatment Program).
 
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What is Petroleum Refining?

Petroleum refineries process raw crude oil into three categories of products:

  • Fuel products – gasoline, distillate fuel oil, jet fuels, residual fuel oil, liquefied petroleum gases, refinery fuel, coke & kerosene
  • Nonfuel products – asphalt and road oil, lubricants, naphtha solvents, waxes, nonfuel coke, & miscellaneous products
  • Petrochemicals and petrochemical feedstocks – naphtha, ethane, propate, butane, ethylene, propylene, butlyene, & BTEX compounds (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, & xylene)
Process Summary
Process category Processes Description
Topping (Separating crude oil)
  • Desalting
  • Atmospheric distillation
  • Vacuum distillation
 Separates crude oil into hydrocarbon groups
Thermal & catalytic cracking
  • Thermal operations
  • Delayed coking
  • Fluid coking/ Flexicoking
  • Visbreaking
  • Catalytic cracking
  • Catalytic hydrocracking
 Breaks large, heavy hydrocarbons from topping process into smaller hydrocarbons
Combining/rearranging hydrocarbons
  • Alkylation
  • Polymerization
  • Catalytic reforming
  • Isomerization
 Processes hydrocarbons to form desired end products
Removing impurities Catalytic hydrotreating Removes impurities such as sulfur, nitrogen & metals from products or waste gas streams
Specialty products blending & manufacturing
 
  • Lube oil
  • Asphalt
 Blends product streams into final products or final processing into specialty products
Major Wastewater Streams
Wastewater Description
Desalter water Water produced from washing the raw crude prior to topping operations.
Sour water Wastewater from steam stripping & fractionating operations that comes into contact with the crude being processed.
Other process water Wastewater from product washing, catalyst regeneration & dehydrogenation reactions.
Spent caustic Formed in extraction of acidic compounds from product streams.
Tank bottoms Bottom sediment and water settles to the bottom of tanks used to store raw crude. The bottoms are periodically removed.
Cooling tower Once-through cooling tower water & cooling tower blowdown to prevent buildup of dissolved solids in closed-loop cooling systems.
Condensate blowdown Blowdown from boilers and steam generators to control buildup of dissolved solids.
Source water treatment system Source water must be treated prior to use in the refinery. Waste streams may include water from sludge dewatering if lime softening is used; ion exchange regeneration water; or reverse osmosis wastewater.
Stormwater Process area and non-process area runoff from storm events.
Ballast water Ballast water from product tankers.

Petroleum refineries are categorized under NAICS code 32411. (Note: the NAICS group listing is provided as a guide and does not define the coverage of the Petroleum Refining regulations. For precise definitions of coverage, see the applicability sections in 40 CFR Part 419.)

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Facilities Covered

Covered wastestreams include process wastewater; ballast water; once-through cooling water; contaminated & uncontaminated stormwater.

Petroleum Refining Subcategories
Subcategory Basic Refinery Operations Included
A. Topping Topping, catalytic reforming, asphalt production, or lube oil manufacturing processes, but excluding any facility with cracking or thermal operations
B. Cracking Topping and cracking
C. Petro-chemical Topping, cracking & petrochemical operations*
D. Lube Topping, cracking & lube oil manufacturing processes
E. Integrated Topping, cracking, lube oil manufacturing processes & petrochemical operations*
* “Petrochemical operations” is the production of second generation petrochemicals (i.e. alcohols, ketones, cumene, styrene, etc.) or first generation petrochemicals and isomerization products (i.e. BTEX, olefins, cyclohexane, etc.) when 15 percent or more of refinery production is as first generation petrochemicals & isomerization products.

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Industry Studies

2015-16 Detailed Study

EPA is conducting a detailed study of the Petroleum Refining category to consider revisions to the regulations.

EPA specifically solicits data and information on the discharge of metals and dioxin from petroleum refineries, including for example, the source(s) of these contaminants, either in crude oil sources or in the refining process, the effects of new air pollution controls on wastewater discharges at refineries, and information on current and future trends in oil refining processes. The Agency also solicits data and information on current wastewater treatment technology performance at petroleum refineries, as well as any other information believed to be relevant to its study of this issue.

Previous Studies

  • 2004 Study (Section 7 of the Technical Support Document for the 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan; EPA 821-R-04-014, August 2004)
  • 1996 Study (EPA 821-R-97-003, April 1996)

Implementation and Guidance Documents

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Rulemaking History

1985 Amendment

Revised BAT, added stormwater limits (pursuant to litigation)
  • Documents, including:
    • Final rule (correction): 50 FR 32414, 8/12/1985
    • Final rule: 50 FR 28516, 7/12/1985
    • Proposed rule: 49 FR 34152, 8/28/1984

1982 Amendment

Revised BAT, PSNS, PSES (pursuant to 1977 CWA amendments & litigation)
  • Documents, including:
    • Final rule: 47 FR 46434, 10/18/1982
    • Development Document
    • Proposed rule: 44 FR 75926, 12/21/1979

1977 Amendment

Established PSES
  • Documents, including:
    • Interim final rule: 42 FR 15684, 3/23/1977
    • Development Document Supplement for Pretreatment
    • Proposed rule: 39 FR 16574, 5/9/1974

1975 Amendment

Revised BPT: TSS and chromium-VI limits
  • Documents, including:
    • Final rule: 40 FR 21939, 5/20/1975
    • Proposed rule: 39 FR 37069, 10/17/1974

1974 Initial Rulemaking

Established BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
  • Documents, including:
    • Final rule: 39 FR 16560, 5/9/1974
    • Development Document
    • Proposed rule: 38 FR 34542, 12/14/1973

Additional Information

For additional information regarding the existing Petroleum Refining Effluent Guidelines regulations, please contact Ahmar Siddiqui (siddiqui.ahmar@epa.gov) or 202-566-1044.

For additional information regarding the 2015-16 Detailed Study, please contact Phillip Flanders (flanders.phillip@epa.gov) or 202-566-8323.

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Effluent Guidelines