Performance evaluation of the Martaş Port Waste Reception Facility Treatment Plant (Tekirdağ, Turkey)

Abstract

The establishment of adequate waste reception facilities is a necessary step to reduce and eliminate ship-generated pollution. This study aims to evaluate the performance efficiency of the Martaş Port Waste Reception Facility (WRF) Treatment Plant as well as to determine whether the quality of effluent complied with the discharge standards/criteria to the seawater, the receiving environment. This plant is one of the predecessors among the mid-scale and multi-functional WRFs in Turkey. Samplings both in the influent and in the effluent of the WRF were analyzed monthly between September 2009 and April 2010 for pH, total suspended solids (TSS), chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), oil and grease, total phosphorus (TP), metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Fe, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn), and total petroleum hydrocarbons, considering the pollution parameters stated in the Turkish Water Pollution Control Regulation (TWPCR). On an average, the removal efficiency of the treatment plant was found to be 98% for total petroleum hydrocarbons, 86% for TSS, 80% for BOD, 79% for oil and grease, and 75% for COD. The effluents of the WRF exceeded the discharge standards of the receiving environment that were stated in the TWPCR standards for TP and the German and the European Commission Directive 91/271/EEC standards for COD and TP. On the other hand, the Cr concentrations of the effluents exceeded only the British standards.

Keywords:

• Marine pollution
• Ship-generated waste
• Oily wastewater
• Port waste reception facility
• Pollution parameters

Acknowledgments

We acknowledge C. Keleş, one of the officer of the Martaş Port WRF, for the legal permission of the study, B. İskan, manager of AEM Environmental Laboratory Analysis Trading Co. Ltd., for his support on laboratory analysis, and B. Topkaya and H. Hasar for their scientific contribution. We also acknowledge comments and suggestions raised by T. Oğuz and three anonymous referees that improved scientific quality of the manuscript. This study was a part of the FEB 2009/05 and FEB 2009/12 projects supported by Unit of Research Project (BAP) of Niğde University.

Notes

Third International Conference on Environmental Management, Engineering, Planning and Economics (CEMEPE 2011) & SECOTOX Conference, 19–24 June 2011, Skiathos Island, Greece