Abstract

Pertamina/VICO Indonesia made a decision to stop using oil base diesel drilling mud for normal drilling operation due to environmental consideration. The oil base mud mixing plant in Saliki, East Kalimantan has therefore to be cleaned-up. This plant had been operating for more than fifteen years. Over the years due to the normal process of mud mixing the soil around the mud plant had become contaminated with the oil fraction of drilling mud. There was also the existing oil base mud in the tanks to be disposed of.

The first stage of the clean-up used in-situ incineration of the remaining oil base mud in the tanks. A burner was built with natural gas as fuel. The oil was burned in-situ and the resulting ash was stabilized by solidification before being used as landfill. The second stage of the project used bioremediation landfarming technology to clean-up the contaminated oily soil around the tanks. This technology used aerobic microbes to degrade toxic hydrocarbons to harmless end products. The third stage of the project was to confirm remediation results, area of remediated soil was planted with a variety of vegetables and fruits. These were subsequently analyzed to determine if there was any contamination.

Attention was paid to air quality regulations for emissions due to burning of oil base mud, regulations of remaining ash after burning and regulations pertaining to document a successful clean-up bioremediation project. Laboratory and onsite analysis were performed to evaluate the impact of the clean-up program on the environment.

Using the above technology the mud plant was successfully clean-up to within acceptable levels of contamination.