Petroleum Hazardous Materials Remediation

Drilling mud is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons, water, metals, and suspended fine solids. Drilling mud is classified as a Hazardous material.

According to the United Nations, effective control of the generation, storage, treatment, recycling and reuse, transport, recovery and disposal of hazardous waste is of paramount importance for proper health, environmental protection and natural resource management, and sustainable development.

Refineries generate about 3.2 kilograms drilling mud from each metric ton of crude oil processed. The total amount of refinery drilling mud requiring remediation was about 11.5 million tons based on a total world refinery crude oil throughput of 3.6 billion metric tons in 2005. Average annual growth rate of 2.6% is expected from 2006 through 2011.

Hazardous waste containment technologies were the largest segment of the global hazardous waste remediation market in 2005, with over 25% of the market, followed by separation (19%), chemical treatment (18%), and recycling (15%).

Recycling is the fastest-growing market segment with a average annual growth rate of 19%, which will grow to 27% by 2011. However, hazardous waste containment technologies’ share of the market is expected to decline to 23%, separation to 16% and chemical treatment to 14%.