Processing of red ceramics incorporated with encapsulated petroleum waste

In petroleum extraction industry large amounts of oily sludge have to be discarded. This waste is usually considered of difficult final disposal, causing economical and environmental problems. This work reports on the re-use petroleum waste for manufacturing of red ceramic product used in civil construction. Ceramic pieces containing up to 30 wt.% of petroleum waste were uniaxially pressed and fired at temperatures ranging from 800 °C to 1000 °C. The technological properties (linear shrinkage, water absorption, apparent density, and compressive strength) as function of firing temperature and waste addition are presented. The results showed that the use of up to 30 wt.% of encapsulated petroleum waste into red ceramic pieces is technically adequate and cause less environmental impact.