Treatment of Acid Tars by Encapsulation to Reduce the Effects of Pollution on the Environment

Abstract

Some synthesis processes obtain Acid tars after treating the refining products with sulfuric acid. They are highly toxic to the environment, occupying important storage spaces. Following the closure of the refineries in Romania, large quantities of acid tars were abandoned in oil residue tanks. Currently, activities are being carried out to inventory and dispose of them. Incineration is the only possibility to treat these wastes, which release dangerous substances into the air (CO2, SO2). That is precisely why we tried to find solutions to treat these wastes by encapsulating them with various additives, the best solution being their physical alteration through encapsulation and stabilization in situ. The results obtained from the treatment of some acid tars taken from Romania, with additives consisting of cement, sand, calcium oxide, sodium hydroxide, bentonite, and emulsifier, are presented, the created recipes being used to treat 80 collected tar samples. The effects of these recipes on the primary pollutants are also analyzed (metal content, total hydrocarbons in oil, the number of acids, cyanides, chlorides, and sulfates).