Audit of the management of oily waste in a diesel generator

Abstract

The generation of electricity has associated negative environmental impacts among which is the contamination by oily waste. The purpose was to audit the management of the oily residuals of a diesel generator and to propose corrective actions for the findings. The eight- step procedure was used in solving a problem. The audit criteria were established and, as evidences, the treatment organs were diagnosed, the receiving body and the oily water disposed were sampled. The concentration of hydrocarbons and fats exceeded the established limits. Hydrocarbon spills, increased system load and clogging were the main failure modes. A plan of 27 corrective actions was designed, which constituted conceptual ideas to improve environmental performance. The procedure can be generalized to other sets and thus contributes to sustainability in the distributed generation of electrical energy.