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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - Magnetic Fluids (A Key Enabling Technology for metals recovery and water management based on functionalized magnetic particles for galvanic industry)

Teaser

Summary

Captive Systems has developed a new technology for removal of pollutants (oils, organic pollutants and metals) from waste water (WW) and vapours containing hydrocarbons, thanks to the use of â€œmagnetic fluidsâ€, i.e. functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (NPS) which once mixed with the WW absorb the pollutant and can be separated by using a simple magnet. The technology can be applied in several sectors, including oil&gas, electroplating industry, steel industry and electronic waste recycling. The feasibility study allowed Captive System to analyse in detail the market potential and the willingness to pay in different sectors, shifting the priority for the market entry sector from galvanic industry to oil&gas, for the capture and removal of hydrocarbons from WW coming from tank cleaning in refineries and fuel deposits and to treat vapours saturated with hydrocarbons emitted during the emptying phase of the tank for maintenance. In the cases of fuel deposits, the service will be provided using a mobile plant to treat the water used for tank cleaning operation, currently sent to external treatment sites. In addition to the savings, the user will be able to drastically reduce the water consumption for the cleaning operation and the use of trucks transporting the WW will be avoided. In the case of vapour purification from hydrocarbons, the solution proposed consists in fluxing the gas stream in a fluidized bed with the magnetic fluid. The service can be granted 14 hours instead of 10 days, at a reduced price and avoiding problems linked to emission of dangerous or malodorous substance in the air. In addition, the technology can be used as back up for existing WW plants in refineries, granting process flexibility, low initial investment and limited space required for the treatment in site.

Work performed

The activities carried out during the feasibility study include: 1) Planning of industrial production CAPEX and OPEX: the production facilities required were identified, as well as the facilities required for in-site service, separation and recovery. 2) Definition of the equipment for in-site service, separation and recovery, including for short term and turkey service a mobile plant for treating up to 20 m3/h is considered. 3) Definition of the use cases in the refineries and fuel deposits segments. 4) Customer validation in the oil&gas and electroplating industry. 5) Evaluation of the business model options and value chains: a turnkey service model is foreseen in most of the cases, provided to the end user by an industrial partners, using a mobile on-site treatment plant operating under license agreement with Captive. 7) Market analysis and Business Plan 8) Investment analysis for the production facility and market entry. 9) Plan of activities for the demonstration and validation during the phase 2 project. The activities required for the market launch, scale-up and to replicate in other segments after the conclusion of the phase 2 were also defined.

Final results

The application of the technology in the treatment of WW from tank cleaning in fuel deposits will allow reuse the water for the cleaning operation, drastically reducing the water consumption (90%), also avoiding the use of trucks transporting the WW. The vapour purification from hydrocarbons will allow achieving an abatement of 99% of odor emitting compounds with no risk of flammability of the gas stream. The use of magnetic fluids can grant lower costs with respect to alternatives (20-30%) but even more attractive can grant: process flexibility, low initial investment, limited space required for the treatment in site.