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Strict environmental restrictions for the handling of oil spills
Gävle Municipality is located approximately 180 km north of Stockholm. The area is home to approximately 100,000 people. The city has an important strategic location for central Sweden's industries. The port of Gävle is one of the most important ports in Sweden for importing oil from oil-producing countries. Around 1,100 ships with goods of various types call at the port of Gävle each year, of which oil imports account for approximately 900,000 m3.
Eight well-known, major oil companies have their tankers with personnel and facilities for unloading and storing oil products in tankers within the port area. Transshipment and handling of oil products naturally causes oil spills, which is why each company has its own collection and separation in a gravimetric system. The contaminated water from all facilities is then collected together in a 6,000 m3 equalization basin. Another separation is then carried out before sand filtration. At present, flocculation is not a necessary step in the purification process. With the new types of oil products that have become more common on the market, such as gasoline containing alcohol and environmentally friendly diesel, the port authority estimates that chemical flocculation will become necessary within five years.
In 1991, a Toveko CX type S-300 sand filter was delivered as the final stage in the treatment plant. The flow to the sand filter amounts to approximately 24 m3/h throughout the day. The incoming suspended solids content is a maximum of 50 mg/l.
The responsible state environmental protection authorities follow the EU requirement of a maximum of 5 mg/l oil-outlet water. The performance of the Toveko filter has created substantial safety margins for this facility, which has caused other ports with similar handling of oil products to take note of the results. This has resulted in additional deliveries of filters to several other Swedish ports, with the aim of reducing oil emissions. Similar oil spills from the manufacturing and surface treatment industry with water and oils that often contain heavy metals such as iron, chromium, nickel, copper, lead and zinc and to some extent emulsions, can also be treated in a Toveko filter if precipitation occurs before the sand filter.
Toveko Cleaning System offers innovative solutions for water and sewage treatment as well as efficient energy production. Our customized systems handle everything from stormwater to industrial waste water, and we ensure a high degree of purification with advanced technology and carefully designed processes. With over 30 years of experience and leadership in continuous sand filtration, we strive to create a sustainable environment for future generations.
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