Effects of oily sludge landforming on the soils environment

Abstract

Saudi Aramco has operated Ras Tanura landfarm for about 10 years to treat oily sludge. Landforming is a managed technology which uses soil microorganisms to biodegrade oily waste. Many oil companies in the world have found that landfarming to be the safest, most cost effective and environmentally acceptable waste management technology available for the tank bottoms generated as part of its producing and refining operations.

This report is intended to explore the long term effects of the landfarming process on the soils. It is shown from the analysis of Ras Tanura landfarm data that the landfarming process did not cause any deleterious effects to the soil environment after 10 years of operation.

In addition, this report confirms the results of many laboratories researches which have shown the optimum biodegradation occurs when the oil content is at the range between 5% and 20% of the soil. At this range, the application of the sludge can be done 6 times per year at the landfarm site in Saudi Arabia.