BP Chemicals, Inc.

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Acetonitrile production

Industry: Chemical Manufacturing

Wastes Reduced: Hazardous Waste

Substance: Acetonitrile

Location: Port Lavaca TX

No. of employees: 169

Contact: Ann Goulet

Phone: (512) 552-8602

Description:

BP Chemicals installed an Acetonitrile Purification Unit which was developed and commercialized by BP. Prior to start-up of this Purification Unit, approximately 16 million pounds of Acetonitrile was regarded as a waste and either disposed of by deepwell injection or burned for energy recovery. The Purification Unit was an advancement over prior technology by producing a very high quality Acetonitrile required by some end users.

P2 Application:

The basic requirements for purification and separation of the Acetonitrile were investigated and a continuous process was developed to replace the old batch process technology.

Environmental Benefits:

The unit was designed to minimize waste generation and eventual disposal. The unit has the potential to generate 16,000,000 pounds of previously unrecoverable product.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

Developing the acetonitrile purification process cost BP several million dollars. However, the cost will be offset by other savings and revenues in less than 5 years. BP will realize increased revenue from the sale of the acetonitrile and from licensing opportunities with other companies. Cost savings include less hazardous waste for disposal and labor savings from the new technology.

Source: TCEQ