Stabilization of Acid Tars Present in Oil Residue Lagoons

Abstract

Having been active for over 100 years, Romanian refineries have also produced large amounts of waste resulting from the complex processing of crude oils, most of which is stored in tanks to be processed later. The closure of 9 refineries (out of the existing 13) has also led to the abandonment of this waste treatment. After joining the European Union, Romania eliminated these acid tar lagoons and returned the decontaminated land to the local communities. However, eliminating these chemical substances (from acid tars and other waste to oil and petroleum products and chemical substances) is challenging, both because of their multiple physicochemical compositions and mainly given the lack of techniques that reduce ecological destruction (incineration or slow pyrolysis creates other pollutants). Acid tars are present in the waste of the crude oil processing industry and originate from the refining of some petroleum fractions (oil, paraffin). This article analyzes acid tars and proposes several solutions for their stabilization and encapsulation. The effects of their encapsulation on the primary pollutants present in acidic waste are also presented.