Three types of experiments, based on the physical properties of oily sludge landfilled soil, were conducted to recover total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) from the soil. These experiments included gravity separation, solvent extraction using water, and air floatation. The oil portion was not easily separated from the wet (raw) soil because water molecules aggregate the soil particles, despite the fact that the soil was sandy. However, the drying and grinding processes destroyed the aggregates, causing the TPH recovery to increase to approximately 60% when air floatation was used. The drying process decreased the specific gravity of the soil sample, thereby enhancing the overall recovery of TPH from the soil. Although thermal desorption and/or incineration are common choices for heavily dumped sites, physical separation can recover the oil portion instead of simply removing it.

Keywords: Oily sludge;Heavy oil;Physical separation;Specific gravity;Air floatation;