Development of Innovative Energy Recovery and Waste Remediation Approaches for Effective Petroleum Sludge Treatment

石油工业在原油勘探、生产、运输、储存和精炼过程中会产生大量的含油污泥。由于石油污泥的危害性和世界范围内产生量的不断增加，对其进行有效的处理引起了广泛的关注。传统的污泥处理技术去除污染物效率低、处理时间长、二次污染大，不能满足严格的环境法规要求。因此，工业和政府迫切需要开发改进的、创新的和具有成本效益的石油污泥处理方法。这项研究旨在通过能源回收和废物最小化来帮助石油行业制定可持续的废物管理战略。该项目由多项研究任务组成：(A)推进利用不同方法及其组合从炼油厂污泥中最佳回收能源的研究和开发，包括超声波辐射、冻融处理和热解；(B)发现具有高石油碳氢化合物(PHC)降解能力的新微生物菌株，并生产用于强化石油污泥生物修复的有前途的生物表面活性剂；以及(C)开发利用木材废料生物质共热解固定石油污泥和钻屑中所含重金属的创新方法。这项研究允许系统地考虑影响石油污泥处理的因素和复杂性。将开发一些环境友好型技术，以改善加拿大目前昂贵和低效的石油废物管理做法，并将大大有助于改善受石油污泥处置影响的社区的健康状况。这项研究还将有助于吸引和培养一批有才华的学生，他们将有能力应对加拿大未来的环境挑战。

A large volume of oily sludge can be generated from the petroleum industry during its crude oil exploration, production, transportation, storage, and refining processes. Due to its hazardous nature and the increasing quantity being generated around the world, the effective treatment of petroleum sludge has attracted widespread attention. Most of the conventional technologies for sludge disposal are inadequate to meet stringent environmental regulations due to their low efficiency, long treatment time, and secondary pollution in removing contaminants. As a result, there is a pressing need from industry and governments for the development of enhanced, innovative, and cost-effective approaches for petroleum sludge treatment. This research is designed to help develop a sustainable waste management strategy for the petroleum industry through energy recovery and waste minimization. It consists of a number of research tasks: (a) to advance the research and development of optimal energy recovery from oil refinery sludge using different approaches and their combinations, including ultrasonic irradiation, freeze/thaw treatment, and pyrolysis; (b) to discover new microbial strains with high petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) degradation ability, and to produce promising bio-surfactants for the enhanced bioremediation of petroleum sludge, and (c) to develop innovative approaches for the immobilization of heavy metals contained in petroleum sludge and drill cuttings using co-pyrolysis with wood waste biomass. The research allows for a systematic consideration of factors and complexities that affect petroleum sludge treatment. A number of environmentally friendly technologies will be developed for improving the current costly and inefficient petroleum waste management practices in Canada, and will greatly contribute to improved health in the communities that are impacted by petroleum sludge disposal. This research will also help to attract and train a number of talented students, who will be capable of addressing Canada's future environmental challenges.