PROCESS FOR THICKENING A DRILLING MUD WASTE MATERIALS AND A MODIFIED DRILLING MUD WASTE MATERIAL

摘要

The present invention provides a process for thickening drilling mud waste materials including the steps of mixing a drilling mud waste materials having greater than zero percent by weight free liquid with an effective amount of one or more anionic copolymers to form a treated drilling mud waste materials. The anionic copolymer is derived from either (a) an anionic monomer, a nonionic monomer, and a cross-linking monomer, resulting in a cross-linked anionic copolymer; or (b) a non-cross-linked, linear chain co-polymer of an anionic polymer and a nonionic polymer; or (c) a blend of the combination of (a) and (b). A modified drilling mud waste material is disclosed having zero percent by weight free liquid.