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Care in the Refining
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Petrobras has developed treatment systems at its refineries for all effluents.
Stacks, filters and other devices prevent gases, vapor and dust from
being vented to the atmosphere; recuperation units extract the sulfur
from those gases which, if burned, would generate sulfur oxide, one
of the major pollutants in urban centers. Liquid wastes are treated
by physico-chemical and biological processes.
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Besides minimizing generation of solid waste, the refineries perform this operation selectively, in such a way as to permit recycling for reuse by Petrobras itself, or to be sold to third parties. Wastes that have not been recycled are treated at recuperation plants to recover their oil or undergo natural biodegradation, in which case microorganisms in the soil act to degrade the oily waste. Other solid wastes are dumped into closed industrial earth fills, which are constantly controlled and monitored.
Petrobras refineries are being remodeled to process low sulfur content Brazilian crudes of the type that produces less polluting fuels. Hydrotreatment plants operating at the refineries make it possible to generate crude by-products of a better quality.
These and other efforts on the part of Petrobras to put out a product capable of improving living conditions, in line with advances in the production and marketing of natural gas as a fuel (non-pollutant) are important factors in the process of improving the quality of the air that is breathed in major cities.
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