Crude oil comprises saline, water, heavy hydrocarbons, and dirt. When crude oil is saved in refinery tanks, a dense part is gradually formed at the bottom of the tanks known as oily sludge. Considering the high concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons in the created sludge at refineries, the California Surroundings Safety Company has listed this compound as a hazardous materials (Okay collection) [1]. Petroleum hydrocarbons consist of different fractions of alkanes, alkenes, aromatic hydrocarbons and asphalts [2].
Most of those compounds cause most cancers and mutations and have the potential of biological accumulation in living organisms. These compounds are resistant to biodegradation and stay in the atmosphere for a protracted period of time. Disposal of the oily sludge into the environment is a risk for people as properly because the setting. Due to this fact, the purification of the oily sludge earlier than releasing it to the environmental is inevitably essential [3].
The removal of oil pollutants are sometimes performed by physical or chemical processes. These methods are commonly costly with the potential of producing by- product pollutants [6]. Advanced oxidation processes are used for removing natural hydrocarbons. Fenton methodology has more advantages evaluating to different strategies since it’s cheaper, diminished response time and energy consumption, non-toxic nature of the compounds, and operation and management simplicity [7].
The idea of the Fenton methodology is the decomposition of H2O2 and the production of hydroxyl radicals in the presence of Fe3+ ions as a catalyst [80]. Studies have proven that produced hydroxyl radicals are able to decomposing and degrading organic contaminants corresponding to petroleum hydrocarbons [116].
Lu et al. studied the remediation of petroleum-contaminated soil utilizing Fenton methodology. They concluded that Fenton method increased the efficiency of the biological process [17]. In another study, petroleum-contaminated soil was treated using phosphate to increase the effectivity of the Fenton process however the discount of more than 40% was not achieved [18]. The removal efficiency of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was in the range of 70-98% (relying on the chemical traits of PAHs) using the mixed biodegradation and a modified Fenton methodology [19].
Since Fars (in Southern part of Iran) enjoys the top rank in oil refinery within the country lately, there may be a concern concerning the impact of petroleum hydrocarbons in oily sludge on people health and the surroundings. Subsequently, the targets of the examine have been to (i) evaluate the feasibility of using Fenton technique in removing petroleum hydrocarbons in oily sludge obtained from Shiraz oil refinery, (ii) determine the optimum situations utilizing Taguchi method in order that the usual limit can be achieved by further complementary treatment.
