Application of Ultrasound and Fenton's Reaction Process for the Treatment of Oily Sludge

In this study, three advanced oxidation processes (AOP) were investigated for their capabilities to reduce petroleum hydrocarbons (PHC) in oily sludge. These include ultrasonic treatment alone, Fenton's reaction process alone, and the combination of ultrasound and Fenton's reaction (US/Fenton). Under the experimental conditions, the ultrasonic treatment and Fenton's reaction process achieved a reduction of 22.6% and 13.8% in the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), respectively. However, a TPH reduction of 43.1% was observed for the combined process of ultrasound and Fenton's reaction, indicating that the individual AOP is complementary to one another. As a result, the combined process could be acted as a more effective method to treat oily sludge as compared to the single AOP.