Siemens to supply wet air oxidation system to Qatar Petrochemical Company

The Zimpro Wet Air Oxidation (WAO) system from Siemens, used primarily for treatment of high strength industrial wastewater streams, will be implemented as part of the expansion of QAPCO’s ethylene plant in Mesaieed Industrial City in Qatar. The WAO system will provide QAPCO with a much higher level of wastewater treatment capability, while eliminating noxious spent caustic sulfide odors at the facility, which is expected to be operational in December, 2013.

“Siemens, which has been a reliable and trusted partner to QAPCO since the early 1980s, is pleased to announce this latest contract,” said Hamad Al Khayyat, General Manager, Oil and Gas Division, Siemens WLL Qatar. “This is an excellent demonstration of the extensive capabilities of Siemens in providing innovative technologies and solutions that are in line with Qatar’s National Vision 2030.”

QAPCO is expanding its ethylene cracking unit from a current capacity of 720 kta to a new capacity of 900 kta. The Siemens scope of supply includes a Zimpro® wet air oxidation system, which will destroy odorous sulfide pollutants and generate a biodegradable effluent that can be discharged to conventional biological wastewater treatment. It also includes a complete power management system for the project. Zimpro® wet air oxidation has been widely accepted as the preferred technology for safe and reliable treatment of spent caustic wastewater generated in ethylene plants. There have been nearly 40 systems installed for this application over the past 20 years.

“As Qatar’s petrochemicals and chemicals industries expand and develop, Siemens Oil & Gas is proud to be the technology partner of choice, providing those sectors with innovative solutions based on decades of development and demonstrating Siemens’ strong commitment to enhancing sustainability,” said Ali Vezvaei, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Oil and Gas, Siemens Middle East. “The WAO system from Siemens will be instrumental in the pretreatment of high strength wastewater and the elimination of toxicity or reactivity, while meeting international environmental standards.”

Wet oxidation is the oxidation of soluble or suspended components in an aqueous environment using oxygen as the oxidizing agent. When air is used as the source of oxygen, the process is referred to as wet air oxidation (WAO). The system will oxidize odorous reduced sulfur species such as sulfides and mercaptides, and will also break down complex organic contaminants, such as phenols, to either carbon dioxide and water, or biodegradable organics.

Siemens AG (Berlin and Munich) is a global powerhouse in electronics and electrical engineering, operating in the fields of industry, energy and healthcare as well as providing infrastructure solutions, primarily for cities and metropolitan areas. For over 165 years, Siemens has stood for technological excellence, innovation, quality, reliability and internationality. The company is the world's largest provider of environmental technologies. Around 40 percent of its total revenue stems from green products and solutions. In fiscal 2012, which ended on September 30, 2012, revenue from continuing operations totaled €78.3 billion and income from continuing operations €5.2 billion. At the end of September 2012, Siemens had around 370,000 employees worldwide on the basis of continuing operations. Further information is available on the Internet at: www.siemens.com.