Incorporation of petroleum waste in clay ceramics and its characterisation

In Brazil, the growth of the petroleum industry has resulted in an increasing amount of toxic oily wastes that have a high environmental impact. This work analyses the possibility of recovering waste from the petroleum industry using the powder technology route to produce clay-based ceramics. Batches of clay-petroleum waste mixes with up to 20 wt.% waste were prepared. The results showed that the incorporation of petroleum waste influenced the technological properties of the fired pieces. Leaching tests have shown that the petroleum waste could be inertised within a clay ceramic fired at 1100°C. In addition, petroleum waste containing pieces presented technological properties acceptable for application in clay-based ceramics.