Influence of Acid Soil Stabilizer on the Acid-Basic Properties of Drill Cuttings

Abstract

One of the most promising areas of disposal of drill cuttings is their use as a component for the manufacture of mixtures used for the construction of engineering structures, such as road foundations. One of the limitations of the disposal of drill cuttings in this direction is the presence of alkaline components in the slimes, which worsen the physicomechanical characteristics of the mixtures obtained and create the threat of negative environmental impacts. In this article, the authors studied the dynamics of changes in the pH of the slurry sludge-water, and also conducted experiments to study the effects of additions of hydrochloric acid and acid soil stabilizer Polybond. It was established that the buffering capacity of the solid phase of drill cuttings in relation to maintaining pH at a level exceeding the value of 9 is low, and maintaining pH = 6÷8 units. is high. This fact suggests that when obtaining road-building mixtures based on drill cuttings, it is possible to do with small additions of acid soil stabilizer, at the same time the risk of obtaining products with unacceptably low pH values is negligible. The use of acid soil stabilizer in the manufacture of road-building materials based on drilling sludge helps ensure environmental safety of products, as well as improve the physical and mechanical properties of the material.