Evaluation of Solid Waste From H2S Removal Process in Natural Gas Treatment Incorporated Into Red Ceramic

Abstract

Waste incorporation into clay ceramic is a worldwide accepted recycling procedure for environmentally friendly reuse of spent industrial materials. In the present work a clay ceramic from the city of Campos dos Goytacazes, Brazil, was, for the first time, investigated with different amounts, up to 10 wt%, of a solid waste generated from the “Sulfatreat” natural gas treatment process. Both the waste and the incorporated ceramic were characterized by X-ray fluorescence and X-ray diffraction as well as vibratory sieving, gas chromatography and sedimentation method. Ceramic samples were prepared by uniaxial pressing at 18 MPa and sintered at 850°C. Physical and mechanical properties of these ceramics such as linear shrinkage, apparent density, water absorption and flexural strength were evaluated. Microstructure of the incorporated ceramics was analyzed by optical microscopy. The results showed that, within the standard deviation, the linear shrinkage and apparent density of the clay ceramic were not affected by the waste incorporation. However, the water absorption is benefitted, by decreasing above 5 wt% incorporation, while the flexural strength is impaired for any incorporated amount. Porosity and larger waste particles observed in microstructure are proposed reasons for these advantages and shortcomings.