Petroleum Distillates Environment Petroleum distillates are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and may be regulated in your area. Petroleum distillates can be recovered by distillation. The paraffinic hydrocarbons have low evaporative loss rates. Hydrocarbons and water are immiscible and will separate in a settling tank, so hydrocarbons can be recycled from the wastewater stream. However, the water may still require treatment prior to discharge to the drain. State Information | Glossary | Conversion Checklist | Comments Home | Process Advisor | Alternatives | Links | Search All SAGE material, Copyright© 1992, Research Triangle Institute Last Update: 17 March 1995 sage@rti.org http://clean.rti.org/alt.cfm?id=pd&cat=en