Distillation of Methyl Ethyl Ketone from an Industrial Waste Stream

The objective of this project was to develop a method to process an industrial waste stream consisting of methyl ethyl ketone and water. Distillation at various temperatures and pressures removes the bulk of the methyl ethyl ketone. Simulations and lab experiments were conducted to model the most effective conditions for removal and, to reduce costs, the remaining wastewater is processed using air stripping and thermal oxidation. This makes the water disposable by Pima County standards and removes sufficient methyl ethyl ketone to make the water reusable in the industrial process.