Graduate Thesis Or Dissertation
 

Petroleum refinery residuals : a recycling feasibility study

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https://ir.library.oregonstate.edu/concern/graduate_thesis_or_dissertations/5d86p232s

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  • Large quantities of unused heavy oil and residual waste products from the petroleum refining industry were deposited in on-site landfills, pits, and lagoons, prior to the promulgation of regulations governing their disposal and technology development that would further utilize and/or recycle these materials. Contacting petroleum products with sulfuric acid for clarifying and stabilizing purposes, adding lead oxide to certain crudes to reduce sulfur odors, and filtering products through a medium of Fuller's Earth has been customary practice within the industry for many years. "Acid tar," otherwise known as petroleum refinery residuals (PRR), is essentially a combination of one or more waste streams resulting from these processes. Estimated gross quantities of PRR existing at an undetermined number of sites across the United States exceed 10 million cubic yards, of which, an estimated cost for remediation approaches one billion dollars. Contaminated sites must be remediated in order to be acceptable for land development and to meet regulatory and public scrutiny. Considering the volume of this waste currently existing in the United States, it is imperative that feasible, cost effective, and realistic recycle and/or disposal options be defined and implemented. This study evaluates the environmental implications, structural integrity, and economics of incorporating PRR into an asphalt concrete. Two PRR sources are evaluated for their potential use as a recycled material when incorporated into an asphalt concrete mixture: 1) A characteristically toxic and acidic PRR from Pennsylvania and 2) A non-hazardous acidic PRR from Oklahoma. Both sources maintained a sludge-like consistency following neutralization with lime (NRR). The Oklahoma source was further processed with lime to yield a mixture (TRR) with a consistency similar to that of a silty sand. Hot and cold mix studies were conducted, utilizing gap and dense gradations with varying percentages of PRR. Mixtures excluding aggregate were also prepared using TRR and varying quantities of asphalt emulsion. Hot-mix results produced favorable structural parameters, however, increased lead leachate and odor problems eliminated this option. Strength parameters for cold-mixed dense-graded specimens are within acceptable limits for use as a bituminous stabilized base. Neutralized PRR from Oklahoma appear to be no more of an environmental threat than a typical asphalt concrete. However, water sensitivity of PRR-modified mixtures was found to be higher than non-modified mixtures. Economically, this form of recycling is favored over incineration, when considering a characteristically hazardous PRR. However, other remedial alternatives may prove economically superior to recycling. Prudent means of remediation need to be considered on a site-by-site basis.
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