Published on: 2026-09-25
Source: Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering –
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A combined technology for treating oil-containing wastewater from motor transport enterprises has been developed at the Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering. The research was carried out as part of a grant competition for scientific research conducted by the academic staff of SPbGASU in 2026. The head of the research is a senior lecturer at the Department of Water Management and Ecology. Elena Korneeva.
Why a new technology is necessary
Wastewater from motor transport enterprises contains petroleum products, suspended solids, and other contaminants. When using only a single filtration stage, the fibrous material is subjected to a significant oil load, which can lead to its more intensive contamination.
To reduce the load on the filtering element, the study proposes a combined purification scheme: preliminary removal of the main portion of petroleum products by pressure flotation method followed by further water purification on a fibrous polymer separator.
What was proposed at SPbGASU
As part of the study, an experimental setup was developed, including a compact pressure flotation unit and a replaceable fibrous polymer separator. During pressure flotation, water is saturated with air, and after pressure is reduced, fine-dispersed bubbles form, aiding in the extraction of oil contaminants. After this, the effluent goes to the fibrous separator for further purification.
Researchers compared two schemes: direct feeding of oil-containing water to the polymer separator and preliminary water treatment by the pressure flotation method.
Research Results
Experiments showed that preliminary flotation reduces the oil load on the subsequent treatment stage. When using pressure flotation followed by a fibrous polymer separator sequentially, the average concentration of oil products after treatment was 2.8 mg/L. When using only the separator, this value was 4.0 mg/L in the studied series of experiments. The calculated average removal efficiency of oil products for the combined scheme reached 93.5%.
Additional investigation using optical microscopy made it possible to assess the change in the dispersity of oil droplets. When using only a polymer separator, droplets sized about 15–20 µm were observed, whereas after preliminary flotation and subsequent filtration, droplets about 5–10 µm predominated.
The obtained results show that preliminary extraction of petroleum products by pressure flotation makes it possible to reduce the load on the fibrous polymer material and to create conditions for the subsequent stage of post-treatment.
Practical significance of the development
The developed scheme can be applied in the improvement of local wastewater treatment systems at motor transport enterprises. The sequential use of two methods allows for load distribution between treatment stages, and the replaceable fibrous element can be used as part of compact equipment.
Further research is planned to focus on the study of filtration and regeneration cycles of the fibrous material. This will allow assessing the service life of the separator and determining the conditions for its effective use as part of a combined purification system.
The research was carried out under the 2026 grant of SPbGASU on the topic “Improvement of the technology for treating oil-containing wastewater from motor transport enterprises using a compact pressurized flotation device with a reagent-based foam inhibitor and a fibrous polymer separator of composite structure.”
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