Lined Landfill System for Stabilizing Drilling Waste and Coal Combustion Residues
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for disposing of drilling wastes and coal combustion residues pose significant environmental challenges due to the high salt concentration of brine solutions and toxic contaminants in drill cuttings and ash, with existing technologies failing to provide long-term, cost-effective, and environmentally acceptable solutions.
Innovation Solution
A system of specially designed landfills that combine drilling waste streams, including brine solutions and heavy metal sludge, with coal combustion residues, using geotextile containers and solidifying agents to create stable, compactable fills and pastes, which are then placed in lined landfills to minimize waste discharge and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If conventional landfill methods are used for drilling wastes and coal combustion residues, then disposal simplicity is maintained, but environmental harm increases due to high salt concentration and toxic contaminants
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines harmful drilling wastes (brine solutions, drill cuttings) with harmful coal combustion residues to create a stable, low-permeability landfill matrix. The high salt concentration brine is mixed with coal ash and solidifying agents to form compactable fills that trap contaminants, converting two harmful waste streams into a beneficial containment system that achieves zero or near-zero waste discharge
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates composite landfill materials by mixing brine solutions, drill cuttings, coal combustion residues, and solidifying agents. These composite compactable fills have combined properties: the brine provides liquidity for mixing, the coal ash provides structural framework, and the solidifying agents provide stabilization, resulting in a material that is easier to dispose of than conventional methods while simultaneously reducing environmental harm
2Quantity of substance
If brine solutions with high salt concentration are disposed of in conventional landfills, then disposal cost is reduced, but leachate production increases causing environmental contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful high-salt brine solution into a beneficial component of the landfill structure. The brine is mixed with coal combustion residues and solidifying agents to create compactable fills that have low permeability. The brine's high salt concentration and liquidity properties are transformed into advantages: the salt contributes to the stability of the composite material, and the liquidity enables easy mixing and compaction, while the final structure minimizes leachate production
3Ease of manufacture
If drill cuttings contaminated with drilling fluids are disposed of in pits or land applications, then disposal cost is minimized, but contamination risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts contaminated drill cuttings into a beneficial component of the landfill matrix. The drill cuttings, contaminated with drilling fluids containing chemicals and lubricants, are mixed with brine solutions, coal combustion residues, and solidifying agents. The contaminants that would otherwise pose environmental risks are trapped within the low-permeability composite structure, while the drill cuttings themselves contribute to the overall stability and compaction of the landfill material
4Ease of operation
If coal combustion residues are disposed of in unlined landfills, then disposal simplicity is maintained, but long-term stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a composite landfill system where coal combustion residues are combined with brine solutions, drill cuttings, and solidifying agents. This composite structure provides long-term stability through multiple mechanisms: the solidifying agents bind the materials together, the brine creates a saturated matrix that reduces further water infiltration, and the layered compactable fills create a stable, low-permeability structure that maintains integrity over time, far exceeding the stability of unlined landfills
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system achieves zero or near-zero waste discharge, providing a safe, environmentally acceptable, and cost-effective method for disposing of drilling and coal combustion wastes, with the resulting landfill being stable and minimizing leachate production, thus addressing the environmental crisis caused by these waste streams.
Implementation Method 1
combining at least a first drilling waste with coal combustion residues to form a paste, combining at least a second drilling waste with coal combustion residues to form a compactable fill
Implementation Method 2
placed in a lined landfill
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods of the present invention include a method for the treatment of drilling wastes and coal combustion residues, comprising combining at least a first drilling waste with coal combustion residues to form a paste, combining at least a second drilling waste with coal combustion residues to form a compactable fill, and placing the paste and the compactable fill in a landfill. Other embodiments include a method of treating drilling wastes and coal combustion residues, comprising combining at least one drilling waste with a coal combustion residue to form a paste. Further embodiments include containing the paste within at least one geotextile container. Still further embodiments include placing the geotextile container in a landfill.