Removal of Hydrocarbons From Drill Cuttings Using Humic Acids in Washing Processes

Abstract

In petroleum exploration drilling cuttings are generated, which are toxic residues that contain significant amounts of oil. The oil levels within the cuttings are a risk for marine and terrestrial environments. This study was carried out to investigate the removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) in perforation cuttings (OBDC) by a washing process in which humic acids (HA) were used as surfactants. The cuttings contained 114 372 mg/kg of TPH, which were washed with HA solutions, resulting in 80 % removal of OBDC contaminants, applying a washing an additional water rinse. The process effectiveness was found strongly dependent on the HA solution concentration, the highest removal rates were attained using solutions in the range of 2500 to 3000 mg/L, and lower concentrations yielded removal rates lower than 70 %. Comparing the use of HA versus synthetic surfactants, such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and tween-20 (TW20), both resulted in lower removal efficiency than HA. An additional advantage of HA is that it is a natural material, therefore there is no risk of toxic side effects that occur with synthetic surfactants.Palabras clave: TPH, surfactantes, ácidos húmicos, proceso de lavado RESUMENEn la exploración petrolera se generan recortes de perforación, los cuales son residuos tóxicos que contienen cantidades significativas de aceites. Los niveles de aceite en los recortes representan un riesgo para los ambientes marinos y terrestres. Este estudio se llevó a cabo para investigar la remoción de hidrocarburos totales de petróleo (TPH) en recortes de perforación (OBDC) mediante un proceso de lavado en el que se utilizaron ácidos húmicos (HA) como tensoactivos. Los recortes contenían inicialmente 114 372 mg/kg de TPH, los cuales fueron lavados con soluciones de HA, obteniéndose una remoción del 80 % utilizando un proceso de lavado y posterior enjuague con

Synthesis of a Polymer Composite Based on a Modified Aminohumic Acid Tuned to a Sorbed Copper Ion

“…The presence of a variety of oxygen-containing functional groups in combination with aromatic, heterocyclic and other groupings ensures the ability of HA to enter into almost any type of interaction: ionic, redox, donor-acceptor and sorption interactions. Numerous studies have proven that HA can bind almost all types of ecotoxicants, including transition metal ions [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”