Extraction from Oily Sludge of Paraffinic Hydrocarbons with Gasoline as Solvent

From hazardous wastes produced in Petroleum Refineries, the most generated in large quantities is oily sludge. The use of gasoline for the extraction and characterization of paraffinic hydrocarbons from oily sludge was realized. The experimental design was applied to realize the extraction while the gas chromatographic method helped in the characterization of the paraffinic hydrocarbons. The results of extraction and characterization showed that the Ratio Solvent/Sludge has positive effect while Temperature and Contact time have negative effects on the effectiveness of the extraction process. 14825 ppm is the highest concentration obtained through experimental conditions of Contact time = 30 min, Temperature = 40°C, and Ratio = 6:1. 2,6,10,14-Tetramethylpentadecane (Pristane) is the compound having the highest concentration (2373 ppm) followed by 2-Methylhexadecane with a concentration of 848 ppm.