Oilcrete

by Bruce Suprenant, (M.ASCE), Consulting Engr. and Prof.; Univ. of Colorado, Boulder, CO,
Matthew C. Lahrs, Technical Sales Rep.; Western Ash Co., Denver, CO,
Robert L. Smith, Pres.; Resource Materials Testing, Inc., Denver, CO,


Serial Information: Civil Engineering—ASCE, 1990, Vol. 60, Issue 4, Pg. 61-63


Document Type: Feature article

Abstract:

Threatened by probable tightening of hazardous-waste legislation, oil companies are searching for ways to dispose of or stabilize oil-drilling byproducts. One way is cementitious stabilization and solidification, which can be performed in-situ and usually makes a remote disposal site unnecessary. After overburden is placed above the stabilized material (oilcrete), the site is often suitable for building or agriculture. Cementitious treatment involves using standard construction equipment to add cement and/or fly ash to the oil waste, creating a hardened mass. Soil may be added to absorb organics in the waste, decreasing the amount of cementitious material needed to create oilcrete with adequate strength. As a rule, 1 ton of cementitious material will stabilize at least 1 cu yd of waste. An oil sludge pit near Casper, Wyo., was treated in fewer than two weeks, at a cost of $13 per cubic yard of waste. After numerous trial mixes, the contractor used 820 tons of class C fly ash to treat 7,000 cu yd of waste. Five-day strength was 31.2 psi.

Subject Headings: Recycling | Cement | Waste treatment | Strength of materials | Soil strength | Fly ash | Construction wastes

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