Process for processing waste and by-product materials from oil and / or gas fields

摘要

A method for the treatment of oil and/or gas field waste and by product materials, the method comprising composting the waste materials. The present invention is typically suited to the treatment of waste and by-product materials from oil and gas wells that are contaminated by organic compounds, such as hydrocarbon residues, either from oil based drilling muds, or from hydrocarbons produced from the well. The composting is typically accomplished by an endogenous microbial population on the composted mixture, and optionally a feeder material to provide N and C sources for the microbes. The composting operation is typically carried out in a composting chamber, and typically an auger or some other tilling device is used to mix the material within the composting chamber.