Recycling of Oily Sludge as a Roadbed Material Utilizing Phosphogypsum‐Based Cementitious Materials

Abstract

Oily sludge is a hazardous waste containing emulsified petroleum hydrocarbons, water, heavy metals, and solid particles. The objective of this work is to employ solidification/stabilization (S/S) techniques to utilize oily sludge as a roadbed material with ordinary Portland cement (OPC), fly ash (FA), and silica fume (SF) as binders and phosphogypsum (PG) as a stabilizer. The efficacy of the S/S process is assessed mainly through an unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test and a toxicity leaching test. Road performance, including water stability, freeze‐thaw resistance, and volume stability, is also tested on the solidified samples. The mineralogical compositions, microstructures, and pore structure are characterized through X‐ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP). The results show that the addition of 20% binders (OPC : FA : SF = 1 : 0.7 : 0.8) in combination with phosphogypsum to the oily sludge not only increases the 28‐day compressive strength of the solidified samples and remarkably decreases the release of heavy metals but also refines the pore structure and compacts the microstructure. The solidified body had sufficient strength and good water stability performance, freeze‐thaw resistance, and volumetric stability. This solidification/stabilization (S/S) process, which combines oily sludge treatment and phosphogypsum resource utilization, significantly enhances environmental protection and renders the solidified product economically profitable.