Solidification/Stabilization (S/S) method with cement as a binder to remediate metals in petroleum sludge has been successfully proven. However, this technique has not yet been explored to remediate organic contaminants since a high concentration of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) was also detected in the sludge. This study focuses on remediating 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) compounds in raw petroleum sludge with Portland cement as a binder using the S/S method. The initial concentration of 16 PAHs in the raw sludge was first measured before the performance of the S/S method to remediate the PAHs were evaluated. The S/S matrices were tested for leaching behavior and strength after 7 and 28 days by air curing. The leaching test was measured using the Toxicity Characteristics Leaching Procedure (TCLP), and the remaining PAHs concentration in the matrices was analyzed using a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GC-MS). In the raw sludge, all 16 PAHs compounds were below the standard limit except for Benzo(a)anthracene, Benzo(a)pyrene, Dibenzo(ah)anthracene, and Indeno(1,2,3- cd_ pyrene), which are considered as high rings PAHs. The high rings PAHs show lower concentration in leachate than low rings PAHs, which indicates the potential of the S/S method in remediating high rings PAHs. The high sludge ratio in S/S matrices has shown that the percentage strength is increasing, similar to Portland cement. Therefore, this study contributed to the possibility of the S/S method in the remediation of PAHs in petroleum sludge by using only Portland cement as a binder.

Hassi Messaoud oil field is one of the most important fields in Algeria and the world, because it covers an important quantity of total Crude Oil Production in Algeria. Furthermore, two-thirds of this oil field is underexplored or not explored. Therefore, the drilling process of petroleum wells in this field is a continuous process that results in significant drilling waste. This implies that enormous noxious quantities of drilling waste are produced daily that require treatment via solidification/stabilization (S/S) process before being landfilled. These types of wastes have pollution concentration that significantly exceeds the safety standards. In this study, we focus on the factors affecting the solidification/stabilization treatment of the drill cuttings obtained from Hassi Messaoud oil field and the process optimization. The solidification/stabilization is performed using the cement as binder, and sand, silicate, organophilic clay and activated carbon as additives.The study has been divided into two steps: (i) Determining the optimum ratio of each element used in the S/S process for the organic element (hydrocarbon) elimination, (ii) Combining the optimum ratios found in the previous step to determine the optimal mixture. The obtained results in the first step showed that the optimum ratio for the cement-to-drill cuttings mass ratio is 0.09:1. For the additives-to-drill cuttings mass ratios are 0.04:1, 0.006:1, 0.013:1 and 0.013:1 for the sand, sodium silicate, organophilic clay and activated carbon, respectively. An optimum formula is found whose main finding shows that the hydrocarbon content of our sample is dropped from 9.40 to 1.999%. Many tests’ results such as matrix permeability, resistance to free compression and heavy metals rate before and after S/S process were investigated before landfilling. Besides that, in the light of outcomes achieved by this assessment, these harmful cuttings can be converted into a useful product that helps in reducing the environmental foot prints.