Pitch destruction processes using thermal oxidation system

A process for treating effluent streams in a process comprising:

• thermally oxidizing at least one of a pitch stream from a slurry hydrocracking fractionation section, a pitch stream from a solvent deasphalting separation section, and a heavy residue stream in a thermal oxidation system, comprising:
• thermally oxidizing the at least one of the pitch stream from the slurry hydrocracking fractionation section, the pitch stream from the solvent deasphalting separation section, and the heavy residue stream in a thermal oxidizing section forming flue gas consisting essentially of at least one of H2O, CO2, N2, O2, SOx, NOx, and oxidized metal particulate;
• recovering waste heat from the flue gas in a waste heat recovery section;
• optionally filtering the flue gas in the filtration section to remove the oxidized metal particulate forming a filtered flue gas and a particulate stream comprising the oxidized metal particulate;
• removing SOx from the flue gas or the filtered flue in a SOx removal section to form a de-SOx outlet flue gas consisting essentially of at least one of H2O, CO2, N2, O2, NOx, wherein removing the SOx from the flue gas comprises:
• quenching the flue gas or the filtered flue gas to form quenched flue gas after recovering the waste heat;
• and
• contacting a caustic solution or an NH3 based solution with the quenched flue gas in scrubbing section to form the de-SOx outlet flue gas and a liquid stream comprising at least one of H2O, Na2SO3, Na2SO4, NaHSO3, Na2CO3, and (NH4)2SO4;
• or
• reacting the flue gas or the filtered flue gas with a reactant in an SOx reaction section to form a reaction section flue gas consisting essentially of at least one of H2O, CO2, N2, O2, Na2CO3, Na2SO4, NaNO3, CaSO4, CaCO3, Ca(NO3 )2, MgCO3, MgSO4, Mg(NO3 )2, NOx, wherein the reactant comprises at least one of NaHCO3, NaHCO3.Na2CO3.2(H2O), CaCO3, Ca(OH)2, and Mg(OH)2;
• and
• filtering the reaction section flue gas in a filtration section to remove Na2CO3, Na2SO4, NaNO3, CaSO4, CaCO3, Ca(NO3)2, MgCO3, MgSO4, and Mg(NO3)2 to form the de-SOx outlet flue gas and a dry residue stream comprising at least one of Na2CO3, Na2SO4, NaNO3, CaSO4, CaCO3, Ca(NO3 )2, MgCO3, MgSO4, and Mg(NO3 )2, and optionally the oxidized metal particulate;
• optionally removing NOx from the de-SOx outlet flue gas in a NOx removal section to form a de-NOx outlet flue gas consisting essentially of at least one of H2O, CO2, N2, and O2.