Claims
- 1. A process for converting an infertile mixture of hydrocarbons with particulate soil, rock, or both rock and soil, said infertile mixture being free of plant growth-inhibiting concentrations of water soluble salts, to soil capable of sustaining growth of plant species that reduce the tendency of soil in which they grow to undergo erosion by movement of a fluid over the surface of the soil, said process comprising operations of:
(I) blending said infertile mixture with at least one of:
particulate biomass and particulate material selected from the group consisting of the oxides, hydroxides, and carbonates of calcium and magnesium and mixtures of any two or more thereof to generate a compostable aggregate in which the ratio by mass of organically bonded carbon to organically bonded nitrogen in the compostable mixture is not more than 500:1.00 and the ratio by mass of total organic chemical substances to total inorganic chemical substances exclusive of water in the compostable aggregate is at least 0.10:1.00; (II) forming from said compostable aggregate and, optionally, additional water, at least one pile of the compostable aggregate that is supported by a base and has an exterior surface in contact with the natural atmosphere; and (III) aging the pile or piles forming in operation (II) as recited above in contact with the natural atmosphere until the ratio by weight of organically bonded carbon to organically bonded nitrogen within the pile is not greater than 20:1.0, whereby the aged pile or piles become said soil capable of sustaining growth of plant species that reduce the tendency of soil in which they grow to undergo erosion by movement of a fluid over the surface of the soil.
- 2. A process according to claim 1, wherein particulate biomass is used in operation (I) as described above, no unnatural external source of mechanical or hydraulic energy is used during aging operation (III) to increase the flow of air into the interior of said pile or piles, and each said pile has a shape and size such that the area in square feet of the pile's surface in contact with the natural atmosphere has a ratio to the pile's volume in cubic feet that is from 0.10:1.00 to 0.75:1.00.
- 3. A process according to claim 2, wherein the biomass blended in operation (I) consists of particles with an average largest particle linear dimension that is from 3.0 to 8.0 centimeters.
- 4. A process according to claim 1 wherein particulate biomass is used in operation (I), an unnatural external source of mechanical or hydraulic energy is used during aging operation (III) to increase the flow of air into the interior of said pile or piles, and the biomass blended in operation (I) consists of particles with an average largest particle linear dimension that is from 1.5 to 4.0 centimeters.
- 5. A process according to claim 4, wherein the biomass blended in operation (I) comprises both animal manure and plant-derived biomass in amounts such that the mass of animal manure has a ratio to the mass of plant biomass that is from 1.0:40 to 1.0:1.0.
- 6. A process according to claim 5, wherein the biomass blended in operation (I) comprises both thick and thin plant biomass in amounts such that the mass of the thick plant biomass has a ratio to the mass of the thin plant biomass that is from 1.00:14 to 1.0:1.1.
- 7. A process according to claim 1, wherein said infertile mixture of hydrocarbons with particulate soil, rock, or both rock and soil has been produced by collecting the cuttings that emerge from deep drilling into rock, soil, or both rock and soil, the drilling using a drilling mud that contains petroleum based hydrocarbons in a greater mass than water, and then washing the collected cuttings with sufficient water to make the washed collected cuttings free of plant growth-inhibiting concentrations of water soluble salts.
- 8. A process according to claim 1, comprising an additional operation of placing the fertile soil produced in the process according to claim 7 in suitable areas on, around, or both on and around, an abandoned drill pad and causing erosion-retarding plants to grow on the outer surface of the areas on which the fertile soil is placed.
- 9. A process according to claim 1, wherein both particulate biomass and particulate material selected from the group consisting of the oxides, hydroxides, and carbonates of calcium and magnesium and mixtures of any two or more thereof are mixed in operation (I).
- 10. A process according to claim 1, wherein particulate material selected from the group onsisting of the oxides, hydroxides, and carbonates of calcium and magnesium and mixtures of any two or more thereof are mixed in operation (I).
- 11. A process for reducing the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons content of an initial mixture containing both Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons and at least one of artificially generated rock cuttings and naturally weathered soil, said process comprising operations of:
(I) mixing said initial mixture with at least one material selected from the group consisting of the oxides, hydroxides, and carbonates of calcium and magnesium and mixtures of any two or more thereof to form a secondary mixture; and (II) maintaining said secondary mixture at a temperature at least as great as normal human comfort temperature for a period of time not greater than 120 days to form a remediated mixture, whereby the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons content of said remediated mixture is less than the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons content of said secondary mixture from which it was prepared.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Priority for this application is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) from application Ser. No. 60/189,124 filed March 14, 2000.
[0002] Not applicable.
Provisional Applications (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
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60189124 |
Mar 2000 |
US |