Assessment of the suitability of Kuwait oil sands for beneficial reuse

  • Waleed Abdullah Kuwait University
  • Masoud Janbaz Rutgers University
  • Robert Miskewitz Rutgers University
  • Lauren Iacobucci Rutgers University
  • Kelly Francisco Rutgers University
  • Waleed Eid Kuwait University
  • Ali Maher Rutgers University
Keywords: landfill, oil-contaminated sand, organic content, Portland cement, unconfined compressive strength

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential beneficial use of the oil-contaminated sand of Northern Kuwait as a construction material. Samples with three Portland cement contents (4, 8 and 10% by weight of sand) and three different organic contents (9, 21 and 33%) were cured for seven days and tested for unconfined compressive strength, moisture content, and organic content. The early strength evaluation of stabilized material is an important factor in landfill caps and construction fill beneficial use applications to provide necessary strength for machinery operations. The results of this research show that the Portland cement content has a direct relationship with strength gain in the oil-contaminated sand of Kuwait. These results align with related studies discussing the coating effect of organic matter (such as crude oil) on soil grains, which inhibits the Portland cement hydration reactions and adversely affects the strength gain of stabilized material. Ultimately, the results of this study show that 8% Portland cement, of the total weight of the soil, mixed in the form of a slurry with 1 to 1 or 2.5 to 1 (water: cement) can fulfill the strength requirement to be reused beneficially.

Author Biographies

Waleed Abdullah, Kuwait University

Assistant Professor

Geotechnical Engineering

Civiil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Petroleum

Kuwait University

Masoud Janbaz, Rutgers University

Postdoctoral Associate,

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

USA

Robert Miskewitz, Rutgers University

Associate Research Professor,

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

USA

Lauren Iacobucci, Rutgers University

Research Assistant,

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

USA

Kelly Francisco, Rutgers University

Postdoctoral Associate,

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

USA

Waleed Eid, Kuwait University

Assistant Professor

Geotechnical Engineering

Civiil Engineering Department

College of Engineering and Petroleum

Kuwait University

Ali Maher, Rutgers University

Professor,

Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

USA

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Published
2020-03-05