The present invention relates to the method for efficient removal of phenolic compounds from
wastewater generated from
petroleum industry. The method is two-step process. The first step is a pre-treatment process which operates through adsorption-based separation using
granular activated carbon. The
wastewater in this step is allowed to pass through a column packed with
granular activated carbon. In the second step, the pretreated
wastewater is subjected to membrane-based treatment. The present invention also relates to the design of a special membrane for effective removal of phenolic compounds from waste water. The membrane formulation includes
polysulfone as the main
polymeric matrix and carbon dots coated powdered
activated carbon as the additive which acts as the
active agent for the removal of phenolic compounds. The membranes are designed in two different types, viz., (i) flat sheet and (ii) hollow
fiber. The membrane-based separation using the flat sheet membranes can be done with the help of a dead-end
filtration set up. In case of hollow
fiber membranes, a cylindrical membrane module with a large number of hollow
fiber membranes is designed. The membranes are reusable with excellent separation efficiency. The membrane module has proper feed inlet, outlet for permeates and outlet for retentates. This present invention provides removal of ~99% phenolic compounds from
petroleum industry wastewater.