Revolutionizing Production: Industry 4.0 Applications in the Dyes & Chemicals and Oil Refinery Sectors

The convergence of digital technologies with industrial processes, known as Industry 4.0, has ushered in a new era of innovation and efficiency across various sectors. In particular, the dyes & chemicals and oil refinery industries are experiencing transformative changes as they embrace the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0. This article explores the application of Industry 4.0 technologies in these sectors and examines how they are revolutionizing production processes. Bio Petro Clean India Pvt Ltd (BPC India), a subsidiary of Israel’s Bio Petro Clean Ltd (BPC Israel), excels in innovative wastewater treatment technologies and solutions. Over the past decade, BPC India has been delivering 100% “Made in India” solutions for wastewater treatment plants across multiple sectors in India. Additionally, these solutions have been successfully exported to Israel, South Africa, and Nigeria from India..This case study offers a brief insight into how the below application of technologies in the dyes & chemical sector and the refinery sector yielded higher-quality treatment and increased recovery rates using existing infrastructure. a) Automation Packages: Enhancing new and existing plants with operational supervision for consistent treatment quality and reduced expenses. b) Advanced Automated Chemostat Bioreactor: Boosts treatment quality and flow rates in existing facilities, reducing operational costs. It’s particularly effective at treating challenging contaminants present in wastewater, such as phenols, glycols, BTEX, high shock loads of ammonia and sulphides, and volatile compounds like BTEX.c) Digitization Solutions: BPC offers digitization solutions for water and wastewater treatment plants, including Reverse Osmosis (RO), Effluent Treatment Plants (ETP), and desalination sites. These solutions streamline data collection, centralize data analytics, and provide deep insights to reduce operating expenses, predict operational disruptions, and elevate treatment quality. Notably, these solutions can be implemented swiftly, typically within a week.The primary objective of a dyes & chemicals factory in Surat, Gujarat was to treat effluent to meet the inlet standards of the industrial zone’s Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). This endeavor was complicated by high Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) levels, persistent fluctuations in Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and pH.The factory’s prior attempts with SBR and MBR technologies were hindered by fluctuating TDS, COD, and BOD levels. These challenges resulted in continuous upsets of the biological treatment systems, ultimately rendering the systems incapable of achieving the requisite treatment quality and quantity.BPC was entrusted with the task of upgrading the Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), with the goals of:a) Increasing the flowrate from 2 MLD to 4 MLD (Million Liters per Day) within the available space. b) Developing a biological treatment process capable of handling high and fluctuating TDS levels. c) Maintaining COD levels below 2000 ppm in the treated effluent even with consistent fluctuations in the inlet COD.BPC’s ACT system adeptly managed the high and fluctuating TDS levels (15,000 ppm to 25,000 ppm), maintaining outlet COD at approximately 2,000 ppm. The ACT Bio-Process effectively treated elevated COD values with fluctuations and ensured that the outlet COD remained at approximately 2,000 ppm, even when dealing with high and f luctuating TDS levels in the wastewater.An additional critical aspect of the project involved chemical dosing automation for pH adjustment. Inlet pH levels ranged from 0 to 2, making it a commercial challenge to maintain pH levels between 6 and 7. BPC’s automated chemical dosing system, which utilized controlled dosing of lime slurry, played a pivotal role in stabilizing the process while simultaneously reducing the consumption of lime slurry through precise dosing, resulting in cost savings..This Crude Oil Refinery Complex in India is equipped with two Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs), each designed to handle a flow rate of 400 m³/hour. However, due to significant fluctuations in effluent parameters, these ETPs struggled to meet the required treated effluent standards for discharge and to supply the Reverse Osmosis (RO) feed, leading to excessive consumption of freshwater. Both ETPs adhered to conventional designs, encompassing inlet tanks, TPI separators, equalization tanks, Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF), pH Neutralization, Bio-towers, Activated Sludge Process (ASP), Bio-Clarifiers, and Sand & Carbon Filters. The Refinery had received a notice from the National Green Tribunal of India, necessitating an improvement in the ETP’s performance within a 6-month timeframe.In 2019, after careful consideration, the Refinery opted to partner with BioPetroClean (BPC) for this upgrade on a Build Own-Operate (BOO) basis. The Refinery faced the challenge of sudden surges in Oil and Grease, Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Ammonia, and sulphides, leading to continuous upsets in the pre-treatment and biological treatment sections. This resulted in effluent failing to meet specifications and being rejected by the UF-RO unit, which was installed to recycle wastewater, thereby necessitating a significant intake of fresh water to compensate for the non-compliant effluent. . BPC completed the upgrade of both ETPs within the allotted 6 months, seamlessly integrating its technologies into the existing infrastructure with minimal disruption to operations. The upgrade comprised the following key elements:Implementation of BPC’s Wastewater Treatment Plants Process Automation Package. Application of advanced Bio-remediation technology. Deployment of PureBI, a digitization platform for real time data collection and predictive analytics in water and wastewater treatment plants. PureBI continually monitors and optimizes process efficiencies and treatment costs in real-time, utilizing integrated AI and ML to predict potential disruptions in treatment processes and costs, allowing for proactive prevention.Following the upgrade, both ETPs consistently achieved high quality effluent, even when faced with fluctuations and values exceeding their original design specifications. The treated effluent could be used directly as RO feed without requiring dilution or storage in off-spec effluent tanks.The upgrade slashed freshwater consumption by 90%, yielding significant operational savings.The above two case studies serve as compelling examples of how closed-loop automation, advanced biological treatment methods, and digitization can significantly enhance the quality and consistency of wastewater treatment, as well as boost the capacity of existing treatment facilities, all without the need for additional infrastructure. Moreover, these upgrades can be efficiently executed in a relatively short timeframe and often fit well within Build-Own-Operate models, reducing the need for upfront capital investments.