Review and Recommendations for Fast-Track Wetland Permitting for Petroleum Pipeline Maintenance

The petroleum pipeline industry in the United States is challenged with maintaining the integrity of their pipelines, while also protecting the environment during any pipeline repairs. This project provides information on the activities relating to the industry Integrity Management Program, assesses the process that federal agencies are developing to create streamlined permitting processes, and if the necessary federal, state, and local wetland permits can be obtained in the time frame required by the law. Recommendations are also made for implementation of a fast-track wetland permitting process and what pipeline companies can do to speed up the permitting process. This project focuses on the refined petroleum pipelines that originate near the Gulf of Mexico and terminate in the Northeastern United States.

In Situ Bioremediation Methods for Petroleum Pollutants in Soil: A Training Manual for Construction Companies

Construction companies are interested in adopting environmental methods, such as in situ bioremediation, when conducting remediation at petroleum contaminated sites. This interest is due to both the cost benefits associated with in situ bioremediation methods and the environmental movement. This project creates a comprehensive manual comprised of information about site investigations, treatability studies, design, and implementation of in situ bioremediation at petroleum contaminated sites. The training manual also provides information about regulatory requirements and permitting for petroleum contaminated sites.

Stabilisation of low softening point petroleum pitch fibres by HNO3

This paper deals with the stabilisation of low softening point pitch fibres obtained from petroleum pitches using HNO3 as oxidising agent. This method presents some advantages compared with conventional methods: pitches with low softening point (SP) can be used to prepare carbon fibres (CF), the stabilisation time has been reduced, the CF yields are similar to those obtained after general methods of stabilisation, and the initial treatments to increase SP when low SP pitches are used to prepare CF, are avoided. The parent pitches were characterised by different techniques such as diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), elemental analysis and solvent extraction with toluene and quinoline. The interaction between HNO3 and the pitch fibres, as well as the changes occurring during the heat treatment, have been followed by DRIFTS.

Isotropic petroleum pitch as a carbon precursor for the preparation of activated carbons by KOH activation

Results show that it is possible to activate a low softening point isotropic petroleum pitch, without intermediate pre-treatments, by chemical activation with KOH. The chemical activation is carried out by direct heat treatment of a mixture of the isotropic pitch and KOH. It produces activated carbons (ACs) with micropore volumes as high as 1.12 cm3/g, and BET surface areas around 3000 m2/g. The activating agent/precursor ratios studied (from 1/1 to 4/1; wt./wt.) show, as expected, that increasing the ratio enhances the adsorption characteristics of the resulting AC.

Stabilisation of low softening point petroleum pitch fibres by iodine treatment

A method using iodine has been developed for the stabilisation of low softening point (SP) pitch fibres that avoids air stabilisation in the production of carbon fibres (CF). The interaction between iodine and petroleum pitches has been studied by following the changes in the hydrogen content, aromatic or aliphatic, during the heat treatment of iodine-treated pitch fibres. Two low SP petroleum pitches were used and the iodine-treated pitch fibres were analysed by TGA, DSC, DRIFT, XPS and SEM. The results confirm that using this novel method pitches with low SP can be used to prepare CF with two advantages, compared with conventional methods. The stabilisation time is considerably reduced and treatments to increase the SP, usually required when low SP pitches are used to prepare CF, can be avoided.

New insights on the direct activation of isotropic petroleum pitch by alkaline hydroxides

The paper provides interesting evidences that a low softening point isotropic petroleum pitch can be used as a good carbon precursor for the preparation of activated carbons. The activation is carried out by KOH and/or NaOH and the resulting activated carbons present well developed porosity. Such hydroxide activations can be done directly on the pristine petroleum pitch (P) or on the pitch that has been submitted to an air stabilisation followed by a N2 heat treatment (TAN). In general, KOH activation produces better results than NaOH, both in terms of porosity and yield, the results obtained for the activation of TAN being impressive because of the good porosity developments and high yields reached. The different treatments carried out over the petroleum pitch precursor clearly show that they significantly influence the extent of microporosity development. This is due to different changes occurring in the porous structure of the precursor as a function of the treatment carried out. The efficiency of the activation process increases as the mesophase content of the precursor decreases, as well as the mesophase formation during the activation process is avoided.