A Critical Review of Bilgewater Treatment

Bilgewater, is a complex mixture of seawater, various fuels, lubricating cooling water, and other pollutants such as detergents, solvents, and solid particulates. Several sources of wastewater such as equipment washes, condensation and leaks can generate bilgewater. Various forms of oil can be found in bilgewater, mainly depending on the size of oil droplets: free, dispersed, and emulsified. Bilgewater pollution has a significant negative impact on the environment and society. Interaction between marine mammals and oil may result in pneumonia, lung congestion, and lung membrane inflammation. Bilgewater can have disastrous economic effects on the fishing industry as well as other marine industries like tourism. They can also have negative health effects on those who are charged with helping with relief efforts as well as those who come into contact with the oil. In this review paper, effect od bilgewater on society and the environment was investigated. Electrocoagulation, membrane technologies, and biological treatment processes were discussed. Although, those processes resulted in high treatment efficiencies, hybrid processes that consist of two different treatment processes showed better efficiency. It is recommended to use hybrid processes for treating bilgewater because they reduce fouling on membranes, produce more clean water, and are cost-effective.