Converting Iraqi Hazardous Crude Oily Sludge into Value-Added Activated Carbon using KOH Activation Technique

Abstract

Annually, a high amount of hazardous oily sludge (OS) is produced by North Refineries Company (NRC) Baiji. This work aims to study the specifications of oily sludge in crude oil storage tanks and to convert it into activated carbon (AC) by pyrolysis using KOH activated agent. The physical properties of OS have been measured and analyzed. The AC is produced by carbonizing oily sludge to char under N2 flow using KOH at an impregnation ratio of 2:1 KOH/char. The pore structure, morphology of the surface, and surface chemistry of the AC produced were characterized using Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET), Fourier Electron Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The result shows the surface area of the produced AC was 350 m2/g with a mesoporous structure. Based on the findings, the obtained surface area of the AC indicates the oily sludge was a light precursor, which is helpful in producing gas and liquid fuels rather than solid fuel.