Stabilization of Drill Cuttings Contaminated with Waste Mud

In the Croatian oil and gas industry, significant quantities of drill cuttings are produced annually. The drill cuttings are contaminated with waste mud being heterogeneous waste which comprises hydrocarbons, heavy metals and chlorides. Currently, the treatment option for these drill cuttings is stabilization method using lime and sand as binder. The procedure of stabilized waste preparation in laboratory conditions on two samples of drill cuttings from Drava Depression is described. Prior to the stabilization test under laboratory conditions, it was necessary to determine the content of organic matter in the initial waste sample using organic solvent extraction method, and the content of total soluble matter in water. On the basis of these two parameters, the amount of lime and sand required to produce stabilized waste were determined. Initial and stabilized waste samples were analysed according to standard methods. The results indicated that the process of stabilization of waste using lime and sand enabled the transformation of an initial waste sample classified as hazardous waste into non-hazardous waste.