Andrew Sims (Ontario) coauthored the paper “Self-sustaining smouldering combustion for the treatment of industrial oily waste” recently published online in Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy (WM&R) on September 20, 2022.

Andrew was the lead author. His coauthors were Gabriel Sabadell of Savron, a Geosyntec company, and Carl Lam, Daniel Segal, Paul Bireta, and Dave Thomas of the Chevron Technical Center.

A Senior Staff Engineer based in Ontario, Andrew is and environmental engineer who focuses on remediation, and especially on the use of smoldering combustion to remediate soils impacted by hydrocarbons.

WM&R is a peer-reviewed international journal that publishes articles relating to the theory and practice of waste management and research. Published on behalf of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), the journal supplies essential information for waste management professionals in academia, government, industry, engineering, management, planning, and public health.

An international network of waste professionals and experts from around the world, ISWA’s mission is to promote the transition to a circular economy by developing sustainable and professional waste management worldwide.

Abstract

Significant on-site handling and off-site management costs are incurred by oil field operators annually to properly manage hydrocarbon waste streams such as tank bottoms or other oily sludge or oil impacted soil generated during oil and gas production processes. The current study reports, for the first time, technical results of a field trial on use of a smoldering combustion technology performed in an active oil field. Two treatment batches with oily sludges, stabilized through blending with soil, resulted in permanent hydrocarbon removal (98–99.9% reduction) to create treated soil that met standards for reuse as clean backfill on-site. Emissions profile data collected pre- and post-thermal oxidizer indicated effective removal of volatile organic compounds, CO and SO2, but had increased NO and CO2 due to combustion of propane to affect the thermal oxidation. Regulatory, financial, environmental and safety considerations are discussed in context of future full-scale smoldering technology deployment. The technology has the potential to lower overall unit costs for management of hydrocarbon impacted waste and reduce waste sent to landfills, which can benefit more remote sites.

More Information

Read the article:  https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0734242X221123145 (sagepub.com)
Learn more about ISWA: ISWA | the number 1 Waste Management Network
For consultation regarding smoldering combustion, contact Andrew at ASims@Geosyntec.com.
Learn more about Andrew at (99+) Andrew Sims | LinkedIn.