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Maracaibo at El Tablazo in the state of Zulia This fully the fact that it is eutrophied from several sources of pol-
integrated petrochemical facility, known as the Zulia El lution which include untreated sewage discharges from
Tablazo Petrochemical Complex, represents a series of the City of Maracaibo and smaller cities around the lake
joint ventures between the Venezuelan government and uncontrolled storm water runoff, and leaks from the 1200
private corporations, and calls for a capital investment of oil production wells and transfer pipelines located in the
$1 2 billion by the completion date of 1979 eastern portion of the lake The latter source probably
The Venezuelan government has recognized that this represents the most significant input of organic pollution
facility represents a potential source of pollution to an to the estuarine waters.
ecologically sensitive body of water which already has Venezuela already the world s largest exporter and
been subjected to various levels of pollutional input The third largest producer of oil, is solidifying its position in
government is therefore initiating a pollution control pro- the petrochemical markets through its planned complex
gram through its agency, the lnstituto Venezolano de at El Tablazo The government has attracted a host of
Petroquimica ( I V P ) , which is designed to contain and foreign partners to participate in this venture including B
treat the waste waters discharged from the petrochemi- F Goodrich and Dart Industries from the U S , Petro-
cal production facilities to a quality level which will not chemica Atlantic0 from Colombia, Ethylene Plastique
damage the receiving waters of Lake Maracaibo The M from France and other French, German and Italian in-
W Kellogg Co and Engineering-Science, Inc 'Texas are terests
working cooperatively with IVP in engineering and con- Since large quantities of both associated and nonasso-
structing a waste water collection and treatment system ciated natural gas are available in Venezuela natural gas
which will satisfy this objective was selected as the raw material for the Zulia petro-
The El Tablazo Project in Venezuela is an excellent chemical complex at El Tablazo To induce various inter-
example of pollution control development as i t represents national petrochemical companies to participate in joint
a new petrochemical installation large in size and com- ventures contributing both technical expertise and part of
plexity, and located adlacent to an ecologically sensitive the required capital, IVP undertook planning. manage-
body of water Answers to potential environmental prob- ment, and financing of development of the site furnishing
lems such as these can be resolved only by properly of water supplies, electricity and fuel, preparation of
combining governmental initiative and support with sound feedstocks for the process plants construction of port fa-
conceptual planning and engineering cilities for liquid and solid products personnel, tugs and
This project is a manifestation of the Venezuelan gov- salt for the chlorine-soda plant as well as collection and
ernmental policy for industrial development with environ- treatment of liquid waste material Various other Vene-
mental control The significance of this project in terms of zuelan government entities-CVP (Corporacion Venezola-
governmental commitment precedence and environ- na de Petroleos) INC (Instituto Nacional de Canaliza-
mental sensitivity has underscored the need for thorough clones) INOS (Instituto Nacional de Obras Sanitarias)
investigation, corn prehensive en vi ron mental pla nn i ng and CADAFE (C A de Administracion y Foment0 Elec-
and proficient engineering tricoi-participated with IVP in development of the site
and services
Lake Maracaibo and the petrochemical complex The need to develop basic utilities and feedstocks and
Lake Maracaibo is a large estuary in the northern part of to provide graded plant sites dictated a phased program
Venezuela with a positive flow of water from the feed r i v - of planning and construction Included in the facilities
ers in the South toward th of Venezuela in the making up the 1975 phase of the complex are the CVP
Davis L. Ford
Engineering-Science, Inc., Austin, Tex. 78 722
George C. Patterson
The M. W. Kellogg Co., Houston, Tex. 77046
James M. Eller
Engineering-Science, Inc. /Texas, Houston, Tex. 77058
petrochemical complex
ing systems and port facilities, serve a number of plastic struction of feed preparation plants, installation of feed,
and fertilizer plants Other plastic and aromatic chemical- product, and utility distribution systems are expected to ~
producing plants are planned for 1979 operation Space approximate $150 million by 1975 This amount is exclu-
is available, and services are expandable for presently sive of the IVP share in joint venture companies and also
undesignated future expansion excludes the cost of raw materials and operating '
Ir ~
h
The first of the planned fertilizer plants is the Nitrogen supplies
Ammonia-Urea Plant which goes on stream this year The contemplated expenditure for effluent collection
This plant had originally been sited in Colombia and relo- and treatment is a relatively small portion of the total
cated to Venezuela, therefore, design and procurement cost of the petrochemical complex Excluding cost of
of plant components were relatively further advanced ditches for collection of clean surface drainage, which is
than other portions of the complex This necessitated included in general site grading. the cost of effluent col-
out-of-phase construction of certain facilities, including a lection and treatment facilities is estimated to be $9 8
provisional system for effluent treatment by impoundment million by the year 1979
* and irrigation. To develop a sound basis for designing a waste water
The overall plot of the complex is shown in Figure 1 treatment system, a sequential approach for formulating
The facilities making up the first (1975) phase and the design criteria and process requirements was taken The
second (1979) phase are all located in two strips in the first task was to define each of the production pro-
center of approximately 330 hectares (820 acres) The cesses and predict the qualitative and quantitative char-
undesignated futures will be located on both sides of this acteristics of the resultant waste waters Once the char-
center area acterization data were defined, treatability studies were
The two strips included in the first two phases of devel- performed to evaluate candidate treatment processes
opment have been completely graded in a series of terra- The results of these studies were then translated into de-
ces and surfaced with asphalt A network of roads with sign criteria, and the conceptual process flow sheets
ditches for collection of clean surface runoff from non- were developed The program will be based on the prem-
process areas has been built These ditches discharge ise that all revenues to operate and maintain the facilities
into the lake without retention or treatment Fire water must be provided by the user industries
piping electrical power cables drinking water, service Major influent streams will be monitored by continuous
water piping fuel, and various feedstock systems are samplers, with charges for treatment computed on the
also being installed sized for 1979 requirements Two basis of both quantity and quality in terms of relative
sewer systems are being installed also sized for the full treatability The composite samples from the various
requirements through 1979 Provisions will be made for points of discharge will be collected and brought to the
metering and monitoring the major influents to the sys- treatment plant for laboratory analysis Aside from the
tem Included in the sewer systems are a number of l i f t normal measurement of organic parameters, BOD5 and
stations which deliver the two waste streams to the treat- COD, allocation will be keyed to other treatability indices
ment Dlant such as the BODs 'TOC ratio Monitoring and analysis will
FIGURE 1
Davis L. Ford, vice-president o f Engi- George C . Patterson IS p r o j e c t engl- James M. tiler, general manager v i
neering-Science, Inc., is responsible neering manager of The M. W. Engineering-Science, inc./Texas, is
for administration and conducts ail Kellogg Co. He has directed engi- responsible for a l l studies and design
civil, sanitary, and environmental neering projects in many sections of projects from the Houston office. He
health engineering projects in the the U.S. and various foreign is personally responsible for prelimi-
Austin, Tex., office. He is a consul- countries nary design and feasibility sfudies,
tant for over 40 industries, the United and final design assistance for waste
Nations, U.S., EPA, various state treatment in several refineries and
agencies and municipalities, and the chemical companies. He is also
governments of Mexico and Venezu- chief engineer for the Acapulco Bay
ela. Address inquiries to Dr. Ford. Study in Mexico.