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Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario

J. K. Bhattacharyya and A. V. Shekdar
Waste Manag Res 2003 21: 249
DOI: 10.1177/0734242X0302100309

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Waste Manage Res 2003: 21: 249–x?x
249–261 Copyright © ISWA 2002
2003
Printed in UK – all rights reserved
Waste Management & Research
ISSN 0734–242X

Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian

scenario

Crude oil is a major source of energy and feedstock for J. K. Bhattacharyya

petrochemicals. Oily sludge, bio-sludge and chemical
sludge are the major sludges generated from the processes
and effluent treatment plants of the refineries engaged in
crude oil refining operations. Refineries in India generate
about 28,220 tons of sludge per annum. Various types of
pollutants like phenols, heavy metals, etc. are present in
A. V. Shekdar
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute,
Nagpur – 440 020, India.
Keywords: Petroleum refineries, sludges, hazardous waste
management, heavy metals, system alternatives for waste
management, environmental impact, secure landfill, wmr 416–7.

the sludges and they are treated as hazardous waste. Oily

sludge, which is generated in much higher amount com-
pared to other sludges, contains phenol (90-100 mg/kg),
nickel (17-25 mg/kg), chromium (27-80 mg/kg), zinc (7-
80 mg/kg), manganese (19-24 mg/kg), cadmium (0.8-2
mg/kg), copper (32-120 mg/kg) and lead (0.001-0.12 mg/
kg). Uncontrolled disposal practices of sludges in India
cause degradation of environmental and depreciation of
aesthetic quality. Environmental impact due to improper
sludge management has also been identified. Salient fea-
tures of various treatment and disposal practices have
been discussed. Findings of a case study undertaken by the
authors for Numaligarh Refinery in India have been pre-
sented. Various system alternatives have been identified Corresponding author: J.K.Bhattacharyya,
National Environmental Engineering Research Institute,
for waste management in Numaligarh Refinery. A ranking Nagpur – 440 020, India.
exercise has been carried out to evaluate the alternatives
and select the appropriate one. A detailed design of the
Received 5 November 2001, accepted in revised form 18 February
selected waste management system has been presented. 2003.

Introduction
Crude oil is still the dominant, though exhaustible, source
of energy as well as feed stock for petrochemicals. The
crude availability and petroleum refining are one of the
most critical factors in global economy. Various types of
wastes are generated from process units as well as effluent
treatment plant of refineries. There is a need to develop
appropriate systems for waste characterisation and quan-
tification, handling and disposal of waste in an environ-
ment-friendly manner and environmental monitoring in
keeping with legal provisions. The present paper addresses
various issues related to these systems, covering salient
features of international practices. The real scenarios in
India and design of an appropriate waste management
system compatible with Indian conditions have also been
highlighted.
Existing status of the refineries in India
Previously, the petroleum trade was totally import-
oriented. Today, the scenario has changed significantly.
The oil industries are now producing nearly 52% of India’s
crude oil requirement indigenously. Currently, the demand
has reached the level of 68 million metric tons per annum,
with indigenous crude production being 36 million metric

Waste Management & Research 249

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J. K. Bhattacharyya, A. V. Shekdar

tons per annum (TERI Energy

Data Directory 1999-2000). The
total capacity of the existing refin-
eries is 72.6 million metric tons
per annum. In India, the majority
of the refineries are owned by the
government. The locations of the
refineries are shown in Fig. 1.

Manufacturing process
The petroleum refinery indus-
try is primarily engaged in the
manufacture of fuels, lubricants
and petrochemical intermediates,
using petroleum crude oil as a
principal input material. Crude oil
is a complex mixture of paraffinic,
olefinic, naphthenic and aromatic
hydrocarbons. Characteristics
of Assam crude oil (Numaligarh
Refinery 1999), Kuwait and
South Louisiana crude (UNEP
Programme 1977) are presented in
Table 1. Petroleum refining is the
process that separates the hydro-
carbons into fractions through
distillation. The process upgrades
Fig. 1: Location of refineries in India.
the hydrocarbons through chemi-
cal conversion to render them
suitable for intended product use and separates unwanted Sludge generation and management
impurities. Crude oil from the storage tank is pre-heated The major sludges generated from the refineries are oily
and fractionated in the crude distillation unit. Various unit sludge, bio sludge and chemical sludge. Sources of sludge
operations and processes involved in refineries are atmos- generation in refineries have been depicted in Fig. 2. Oily
pheric distillation, vacuum distillation, hydrocracking, sludge is usually generated during cleaning operations of
hydrogenation, hydrotreating for desulfurisation, delayed crude oil tanks. In Indian refineries, tanks are usually
coking, blending, etc. The major products of the refineries cleaned once in 4 to 5 years. Oily sludge is also generated
include petrol, LPG (liquified petroleum gas), naphtha, when oily wastewater is treated in an American Petroleum
kerosene, diesel oil, coke, etc. Institute (API) separator unit and Tilted Plate Interceptor

Table 1: Characteristics of Indian (Assam) Crude Oil compared to other crudes.

Parameters
India (Assam) * Kuwait ** S. Louisiana **
oAPI gravity 29.42 31.4 34.5
Specific gravity 0.87 0.86 0.85
Sulfur [% by weight] 0.26 2.44 0.25
Nitrogen [% by weight] 0.050 0.14 0.069
Nickel [ppm] 1.3 7.7 2.2
Vanadium [ppm] 0.1 2.8 1.9
Wax [%] 7.1 - -

*NEERI Report (1999) “Solid Waste Management in Numaligarh Refinery and Numaligarh Refinery Marketing Terminals”.

**UNEP Programme (March 1977) Petroleum Meeting, Paris.

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 Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario

Fig. 2: Sources of sludges in refineries in India.

(TPI) unit of effluent treatment plants. Biological sludge
is usually generated during biological treatment of waste-
water. It is obtained from trickling filter and clarifier unit.
Solutions of sodium hydroxide are used primarily to wash
the hydrocarbon products in order to remove dissolved sul-
phides, mercaptans, phenolic and other acidic compounds.
Chemical sludge is generated during the treatment of caus-
tic treated effluent with ferric chloride and polyelectrolyte.
The quantity of sludge generation depends on various fac-
tors, for example the characteristics of crude oil, effluent
and sludge treatment process involved, etc. The sludge
quantities from various refineries in India have been pre-
sented in Table 2. The total quantity of sludge generated
Table 2: Sludge quantity (before treatment) from various refineries *
in Indian refineries is about 28,220 tons/year.
In order to meet the growing demands for petroleum
products, most of the refineries are being expanded and
new refineries are being set up. The total capacities of the
plant after expansion and future sludge generation sce-
narios have been depicted in Fig. 3.
In the refineries in India oily sludge from wastewater
treatment plant is usually stored in lagoons. Oily sludge
from the crude oil tank and the dried sludges from lagoons
are disposed of in low-lying areas. A sludge treatment facil-
ity is available in a few refineries. Centrifuge and vacuum
filters are used in these refineries for dewatering and vol-
ume reduction of sludge.

Operating Agency and Location of the Refinery Sludge quantity [tons/year]

IOC, Mathura 3,000
IOC, Koyali 4,000
HPCL, Visakhapatnam 1,800
NRL, Numaligarh 1,400
BRPL, Bongaigaon 940
IOC, Barauni 1,320
MRL, Madras 2,600
CRL, Cochin 3,000
HPCL, Mumbai 2,200
IOC, Digboi 260
IOC, Guwahati 400
MRL, Narimanam 200
BPCL, Mumbai 2,400
MRPL, Mangalore 1,200
IOC, Panipat 2,400
IOC, Haldia 1,100
Total 28,220

* NEERI Report (1999) “Solid Waste management in Numaligarh Refinery and Numaligarh Refinery Marketing Terminals”

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J. K. Bhattacharyya, A. V. Shekdar
Fig. 3: Planned capacity of the refineries and estimated sludge quantity.
Bio-sludge and chemical sludge are usually stored in
drying beds. The drying beds in the refineries are provided
with filter medium like sands, gravels, etc. Dried bio sludge
is often applied on agricultural land and gardens in order to
exploit its manure potential. However, presence of heavy
metals in the sludge is a major constraint for its safe use as
manure.
Environmental impact of disposal activities
The majority of the lagoons of refineries in India are lined
with cement and bricks, and a few are unlined. It has been
observed that cracks developed in these lagoons which
make a pathway for the leachate to enter the ground water
aquifer and thus ground water is contaminated. In lagoons,
disposal of sludges create problems of odour and fire haz-
ard. Uncontrolled disposal of oily sludge from the tank and
dried sludge from the lagoon on land also causes serious
environmental pollution. Leachate contaminated with the
pollutants migrates through subsoil strata and pollutes the
ground water. An impact identification network for dis-
posal of sludges has been depicted in Fig. 4.
The locations of landfill sites of Indian refineries have
mostly been selected according to availability of land and
convenience rather than consideration of the hydro geo-
logical features of the sites. Moreover, the majority of the
refineries are located in coastal areas where the ground
water table is high. The sandy soils in these regions pro-
mote rapid infiltration of leachate.
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Treatment and disposal options: applicability
in India
The salient features of various treatment and disposal
options for refinery sludges and their applicability in India
are discussed below.
Sludge disposal in lagoon/pit
Containment of oily sludges in a lagoon is one of the
commonly used methods for storage/disposal of sludges.
The lagoons are usually lined with bricks and cement. In
Kuwait, sludges are disposed of in the pits located within
desert areas (Einawawy Amins et al. 1987). Lagoons are
used as storage places for sludges and cannot provide
long term solutions for the ultimate disposal of sludges.
Moreover, lagooning of refinery sludge is not an environ-
mentally friendly solution to the disposal problem.
Incineration of oily sludge
Incineration is the process of complete combustion of
wastes in the presence of excess air. Time, temperature
and turbulence are the major factors, which control the
combustion process. A significant reduction in the vol-
ume of waste is achieved during the incineration process.
Though incineration of refinery sludges is practised in a
few developed countries (Patel Naranbhai et al. 1999), it is
not popular due to the following reasons:
• Fugitive and stack emissions from incineration and
products of incomplete combustion cause environmen-
tal pollution
• Incineration is the treatment process only and landfill

Fig. 4: Impact identification network for disposal of refinery sludges.
facilities are still needed for the final disposal of ashes
• Ashes resulting from the incineration process contain
heavy metals and need to be disposed of in an environ-
mentally friendly manner
• Commercial incinerators which are available in India are
not designed for the burning of oily sludge from refiner-
ies. Non-availability of incinerators appropriate for the
burning of refinery sludge and the emission of polluting
gases are the major constraints in adopting incineration
for disposal of refinery sludges in India.
Land Farming
Land farming involves the application of wastes in control-
led quantities to the land, followed by application of fer-
tilizer and regular planting of crops. This method depends
mainly on the natural in-situ biological decomposition of
hydrocarbons by the vast and varied population of micro-
flora in natural soils associated with photo-degradation.
The structure of the soil and humus content are the major
factors in the process of hydrocarbon decomposition as
they influence oil and water retention, type and population
of microflora and the rate of oxygen transfer. This method
is widely practised, particularly in North America (Arora
et al. 1982) where it is successfully implemented in a wide
range of soil types and climatic conditions. Land farming
has also been tried on an experimental basis in Kuwait
(Einawawy Amins et al. 1987) and India. In one of the
refineries in India, oily sludge has been applied at the rate
of 5-10 kg/m2 on soil of silty clay category to produce crops
burseem & mellet (Gujrat Refinery, 1991). However, the
feasibility of this technique for large-scale application in
India is yet to be established. Various environmental issues
such as the presence of oily odour during initial spreading,
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Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario
groundwater pollution due to migration of leachate con-
taminated with hydrocarbons, phenols and heavy metals
and health problems associated with the contact of oily
sludge need detailed investigations before any large-scale
application.
Secure Landfill of Sludges
In secure landfill techniques, the isolation from air and
water is achieved through the use of thick layers of
impermeable clay and synthetic liner. When landfill is
completed, it is capped with layers of clay, flexible mem-
brane liners and soil for vegetation. The top is contoured
to prevent ponding of rainwater on the surface and the
vegetated contoured clay cover prevents water intrusion
into the completed landfill. The secure landfill system also
employs a leachate collection system above the bottom
liner as a safeguard. Secure landfill is popular in developed
countries such as the USA, UK, Canada, Germany, etc.
After dewatering, the sludges are disposed of by secure
landfill technique. Environmental problems encountered
during land disposal have been solved to a large extent by
the introduction of secure landfill technique.
Legal Framework
Refinery sludges come under the hazardous category.
Hazardous waste has become an important environmental
and public health issue in India, like other developed and
developing countries. The government of India is making
constant efforts to improve the waste-handling situation
in various refineries. The Ministry of Environment and
Forests (MEF) has framed Hazardous Waste (Handling
and Management) Rules, 1989 under the Environmental
Waste Management & Research 253
J. K. Bhattacharyya, A. V. Shekdar
Fig. 5: Decision chart for identification of hazardous waste.
(Protection) Act, 1986. Hazardous waste generated from
various industries has been categorised and regulatory
quantities for the waste have been specified in these rules.
As per legal provision, industries are supposed to receive
authorisation from the regulatory agencies for operating
various facilities regarding collection, reception, storage,
transportation, treatment and disposal of waste. Recently,
draft rules have been published to amend the existing
1989 rules and after finalization, these will be called
the Hazardous Wastes (Management and Handling)
Amendment Rules. These rules will cover a number of
industries generating hazardous wastes. The decision chart
for identification of hazardous waste is depicted in Fig. 5.
Case study for Numaligarh refinery
Numaligarh refinery is located at Numaligarh in Assam
State in India, about 250 km from Guwahati. The
refinery is promoted by Bharat Petroleum Corporation
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Limited, Indo-Burma Petroleum Company Limited and
Government of Assam. The total area of the site is 303 ha.
It is designed to process 3 million metric tons per annum
of crude oil from Assam oil fields of both Oil India Limited
and Oil and Natural Gas Commission. The major products
of the refineries are LPG, naphtha, kerosene, diesel, etc.
The material balance diagram of the crude distillation unit
has been depicted in Fig. 6.
Quantification and characterisation of sludges
Oily sludge is generated from the crude oil tank, API sepa-
rator and TPI unit of Numaligarh refinery, while bio-sludge
is generated from trickling filter and clarifier and chemical
sludge from treatment unit of caustic treated effluent. The
total quantity of sludge generation in Numaligarh is about
1,400 tons per year (Numaligarh Refinery 1999). These
sludges are treated in centrifuge for dewatering and thus
the quantity of sludge cake obtained is 750 tons per year.
The physico-chemical characteristics of the sludges
 Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario

Fig. 6: Material balance diagram of crude distillation unit of Numaligarh in India.

are presented in Table 3. Oily sludge contains various
polluting constituents like hydrocarbons, phenols, etc.
Heavy metals like zinc, chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead,
manganese, copper, etc. are also present in oily sludge,
bio-sludge and chemical sludge. The pH value indicates
that chemical sludge is highly alkaline. Lower calorific
value of the oily sludge is higher in comparison to bio-
sludge due to the presence of grease and oily constituents.
Significant amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
are present in bio sludge and thus the sludge has manure
potential. As per the guidelines delineated by the Ministry
of Environment, Government of India, sludges come under
the hazardous category and need special precautions dur-
ing collection, storage, transportation and disposal.
been depicted in Fig. 7.
Alternative I:
In this alternative, sludges from the Effluent Treatment
Plant (ETP) will be collected in a sump and transferred
to a thickener. The thickened sludge will be collected in
another sump and pumped to the lagoon for final dis-
posal.
Alternative II:
In this system, the sludge from the ETP will be collected
in a sump and sent to the thickener. The thickened sludge
will be treated in a centrifuge. The sludge cake from the
centrifuge will be burnt on site in an incinerator.

Development of waste management system alternatives Alternative III:

Various feasible alternatives for a sludge waste manage- In this system, the sludge will be collected in sumps. The
ment system have been developed in keeping with the thickened sludge collected in a sump will be transferred to
local situation. Schematics of various alternatives have the centrifuge for dewatering. The dewatered sludge cake

Table 3: Physico-chemical characteristics of sludges.*

Parameters Oily sludge Bio-sludge Chemical sludge

Moisture/high volatiles [%] 40-60 80-90 30-34
pH 8.10-8.65 7.10-7.60 11.10-12.00
Loss on ignition [%] 80-95 35-43 30-34
Lower calorific value [kJ/kg] 29,000–33,000 17,000-19,000 -
Phenols [mg/kg] 90-100 - -
Nickel [mg/kg] 17-25 20-25 20-26
Chromium [mg/kg] 27-80 15-20 30-35
Zinc [mg/kg] 7-80 50-58 400-500
Manganese [mg/kg] 19-24 30-40 100-200
Cadmium [mg/kg] 0.8-2.0 0.10-0.60 -
Copper [mg/kg] 32-120 80-121 200-220
Lead [mg/kg] 0.001-0.12 20-30 20-32

*NEERI Report (1999) “Solid Waste Management in Numaligarh Refinery and Numaligarh Refinery Marketing Terminals”.

*NEERI Report (1994) “Environmental Impact Assessment Studies for proposed Expansion at Visakh Refinery”.

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J. K. Bhattacharyya, A. V. Shekdar
Fig. 7: Various alternatives for sludge management from Numaligarh.
will be applied to land farming.
Alternative IV:
In this system, the sludge will be collected in a sump and
then sent to the thickener. After thickening the sludge will
be transferred to the centrifuge. The sludge cake from the
centrifuge will be disposed of by secure landfill technique.
Assessment criteria for selection of appropriate
alternative
Inadequate and improper management of sludges poses
significant risks and adverse impact on health, environ-
ment and aesthetic. Sludge management on the other
hand imposes a financial burden. An assessment of alter-
natives is therefore essential to arrive at the most appropri-
ate technology to minimise adverse impact and maximise
social benefit through enhanced economic output.
The selection of the best possible option from the fea-
sible alternatives is always biased by the expert’s opinion
and experience. The authors have proposed and used a
selection technique to minimise subjectivity. However,
the following issues relevant to the Indian situation are
accounted for during the selection of the best alternative.
The appropriate technology for incineration with the
provision of pollution control facility is not available.
Proper control of gaseous emissions and disposal of waste
residue are necessary in the incineration process.
Limited financial resources and unskilled manpower are
critical factors in the decision making process.
Proven technology on land farming compatible with
Indian condition is not available.
Lagooning has not been proved to be an environmen-
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tally safe process.
A secure landfill system accepts a wide range of waste/
sludge. All the risks covered in assessment criteria are
minimized in a properly designed secure landfill system.
Salient features of the decision criteria for selection of
appropriate alternatives have been described below.
Health risk
Sludges belong to the hazardous category and various toxic
components are present in the sludges. Improper sludge
management system causes adverse impact on public
health.
Environmental risk
Spillage and uncontrolled disposal of sludges on land cause
ground water pollution due to leaching of pollutants such
as phenols, heavy metals, etc. Sludge management system
should be properly designed for ensuring better environ-
mental quality.
Aesthetic risk
Oily sludge emits foul odour, it is black in colour and has a
sticky consistency. Uncontrolled handling and disposal of
sludges also creates eyesores.
Cost
Sludge management involves large capital investment and
recurring expenditure. Economy of the system is also an
important aspect to be considered in the selection of an
appropriate alternative.
 Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario

Engineering features for Numaligarh Refinery. Eight assessment criteria already

Each system has its own unique engineering features.
Types of machinery used are also different for different
processes.
Land requirement
Land requirement differs from process to process. This
parameter contributes significantly to the cost factor.
Skilled labour
The equipment and machinery involved in various proc-
esses need skilled labour for operation. This parameter has
a major impact on cost factor.
Resource recovery
Utility products are obtained from many processes.
Resource recovery from a process is a source of revenue
and it ensures financial benefit.
Selection of the Most Appropriate Alternative
Ranking exercise has been carried out to evaluate the
various alternatives and to select the most appropriate one
discussed earlier have been considered in ranking exercise.
The criteria were ranked by the pair-wise comparison
technique and a total score of 1,000 was apportioned
among the four alternatives. The sum of the scores was
computed for each alternative and compared. Alternative
IV was selected for Numaligarh Refinery. Maximum scores
allotted for each criteria and scores for various alternatives
have been presented in Table 4 and 5 respectively. The
details of the selected alternative are as follows.
Collection and Transportation of Sludges
The oily, bio and chemical sludges collected in the sumps
will be treated in centrifuge. The resulting sludge cake has
been proposed to be temporarily stored in a closed metallic
container and the container will be placed in a covered
area before sending to the disposal site. The sludge cake
will be transported by conventional closed body truck to
the disposal site. The transportation of hazardous waste
to the disposal facility will be accompanied by a manifest
document, which keeps track of the hazardous wastes to
ensure delivery to the designated disposal facilities. It

Table 4: Maximum score allotted for various assessment criteria.

Assessment criteria Score

Health risks 180

Environmental risks 280
Aesthetic risks 60
Cost 160
Engineering features 80
Land requirement 100
Skilled labour 40
Resource recovery 100
Total max 1,000

Table 5: score for each treatment and disposal alternatives.

Assessment Criteria Alternatives

I II III IV

Health risks 140 130 125 70

Environmental risks 210 170 150 100
Aesthetic risks 50 20 30 25
Cost 115 140 110 125
Engineering features 35 60 25 40
Land requirement 65 50 80 70
Skilled labour requirement 15 30 25 20
Total (A) 630 600 545 450
Resource recovery (B) 0 70 65 50
Net score [(A) – (B)] 630 530 480 400

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J. K. Bhattacharyya, A. V. Shekdar
includes detailed descriptions of the wastes and containers
and special handling instructions, if any. The document
will be duly signed by generator, transporter and disposal
authority.
Treatment and Disposal of Sludges
The uncontrolled disposal of solid wastes poses significant
risks and adverse impacts on health, aesthetics and the
environment. Hence it is necessary to adopt environmen-
tally compatible treatment/disposal systems in the refiner-
ies for protection of the environment and public health.
Accordingly, a secure landfill system has been designed
and a site has been selected through the ranking exercise.
Site selection
A disposal site has been selected on the basis of a thorough
investigation of geological and hydrogeological features
and conducting ranking studies. Thirty four attributes
have been selected for ranking which fall under four broad
categories. The four categories are receptor related, path-
way related, waste characteristics related and waste man-
agement related. Ranking studies reveal that the proposed
site belongs to the low potential hazard category.
The proposed disposal site is located at latitude
26 37’30” North and longitude 93o43’30” East and 90m
o soil liner of hydraulic conductivity 1 x 10–9 m/s have been
above sea level. As per the guidelines set up by the
Ministry of Environment & Forests (MEF) stipulations
for siting of industries (Environmental guidelines of MEF
1985), the site is located more than 1/2 km away from the
high tide line, flood plain and highway. Major settlement
is also more than 25 km away from the site. Studies carried
out on subsoil strata indicated that up to 10 m depth soil
was of silty clay category. Beyond 10 m depth poor graded
sand silt mixtures were available. Maximum hydraulic con-
ductivity of the soil was 4.25 x 10–8 m/s up to 10 m depth
and 3.25 x 10–5 m/s beyond 10 m depth. Groundwater
Table 6: Design specifications of liner system.
Thickness of primary HDPE liner = 1 mm
Thickness of secondary HDPE liner = 0.76 mm
Density of HDPE liner = 0.935 g/cm3
Thermal coefficient of expansion of
HDPE liner = 12.5 x 10-5 (per oC)
Tensile strength = 337 kg/cm2
Puncture load = 49.60 kg/mm
Hydraulic conductivity of soil liner = 1 x 10-9 m/s
Thickness of the soil liner = 90 cm
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aquifer was available beyond a depth of 30 m.
Area and Depth of Fill
It has been proposed to dispose of the sludges at secure
landfill in phases. The duration of the first phase is 71/2
years. The total area requirement has been estimated to be
1 ha, which includes a fill area, an area for embankment
and a green belt area. The depth of fill of secure landfill has
been assumed to be 2 m.
Liner system
The liner acts as an impermeable barrier and prevents
leachate from entering the subsoil water body. It is desir-
able that materials should possess appropriate chemical
properties, sufficient strength and thickness to prevent
failure due to pressure gradient, physical contact of the
waste or the leachate to which they are exposed, climatic
conditions and stresses of installation and daily operation.
Since the rainfall in Numaligarh is very high especially in
the months of July, August and September, a significant
amount of leachate is expected to be generated in the rainy
season. The acidic soil of Numaligarh also promotes leach-
ing of heavy metals. Considering these factors, a combina-
tion of High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) liner and a clay
recommended for use at the proposed site of Numaligarh.
The primary HDPE liner of thickness 1 mm lies between
the primary and secondary leachate collection and
removal systems. The secondary HDPE liner of thickness
0.76 mm is placed over the compacted clay liner of thick-
ness 90 cm to form a composite secondary liner. Layers of
drainage material of hydraulic conductivity 1 x 10–4 m/s
are provided in primary and secondary leachate collection
and removal system. Detailed specifications of the liner
are presented in Table 6. The design specifications satisfy
the minimum requirement suggested in US EPA guidelines
 Treatment and disposal of refinery sludges: Indian scenario

Fig. 8: Profile of secure landfill systems.

for secure landfill (US EPA 1989). A profile of the secure
landfill system is depicted in Fig. 8.
Cover System
The main purposes of providing landfill cover are:
Minimisation of leachate
Ensuring good aesthetics
Minimised exposure of waste materials to the
atmosphere
The major components of a secure landfill cover are
vegetative soil cover, filter layer, drainage layer and liner
system, the vegetative soil layer reduces infiltration and
wind erosion. A filter layer prevents carry-over of the
overlaying cover soil into the drainage layer. The drainage
layer provides a lateral path of water to exit rapidly and
the clay layer minimises infiltration through the cover. A
3-tier cover system has been recommended for Numaligarh
refinery. The system comprises of a vegetation soil layer of
60 cm thickness, a clay soil cover of 60 cm thickness and
an HDPE liner of 0.5 mm thickness. A filter medium of
geotextile of 1.5 mm thickness and lateral drainage layer of
gravel of 30 cm thickness is provided between the HDPE
and top soil layer. Detailed specifications of the cover is
presented in Table 7. The design specifications for the
cover satisfy the minimum requirement suggested in US
EPA guidelines for secure landfill.

Table 7: Design specification of cover system.

Vegetation cover
Thickness = 60 cm
Top slope = 3%
Vegetation roote growth = 30 cm
Erosion = Minimum
HDPE cover
Thickness = 0.5 mm
Slope = 2%

Clay cover
Thickness = 60 cm
Hydraulic conductivity = 1 x 10-9 m/s
Drainage layer
Thickness = 30 cm
Hydraulic conductivity = 10-4 m/s
Bottom slope = 2%

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J. K. Bhattacharyya, A. V. Shekdar
Leachate management
Leachate is a liquid that has percolated through solid waste
and has extracted, dissolved or suspended materials. When
water percolates through solid waste that is undergoing
decomposition, both biological material and chemical con-
stituents are leached into the solution.
Application of an intermediate cover at the top mini-
mises generation of leachate to a great extent during oper-
ation of the landfill site. During the post closure period,
the evapotranspiration rate increases due to application
of vegetative cover and leachate generation is minimised.
Establishment of a slope at the top surface also contributes
to the reduction of leachate generation. Maximum leach-
ate is generated in the rainy season. From the water bal-
ance model, maximum leachate generation rate has been
estimated to be 4.13 m3/hr in the rainy season during the
operation period of the landfill site.
The primary leachate collection and removal system is
located below the filter layer and above the primary HDPE
liner. The secondary leachate collection and removal sys-
tem is installed between primary and secondary HDPE
liners. Perforated Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) pipes of diam-
eter 15 cm are used for collection of leachate. A slope of
2% and intermediate distance of 2 m between the pipes is
maintained. These pipes are connected to a main pipe of
20 cm diameter with 2% slope. The leachate is collected in
a sump and is proposed to be treated in the existing efflu-
ent treatment plant.
Gas collection system
As a direct consequence of placement of a comprehensive
cover to minimise leachate, there may be potential for gas
build up under the cover. Hence a gas collection layer is
required to be incorporated into a secure landfill system.
A coarse particle size gradation in the gas collection layer
is required to minimise clogging. A gas drainage layer in
the cover system is placed below the low permeable cover
to intercept the gases rising from waste cells. The gas col-
lector layer allows the gases to freely flow to the vent pipe
that leads to the atmosphere and provides for drainage of
condensate. A minimum slope in the collector pipe of 2%
is required to maintain the flow of gas. Either a granular
soil layer or geo-textile is placed beneath the flexible mem-
brane liner.
Operation of landfill
Guidelines for operation of the landfill site have been pre-
pared. The whole of the landfill site is divided into cells of
a specific size. Each cell is specified for a particular waste
and are separated by mounds of soil. After each day’s
operation, the waste needs to be covered by soil. Once
260 Waste Management & Research
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the general layout of the landfill site has been established,
it will be necessary to select the placement method to be
used and to design individual solid waste cells.
Environmental quality monitoring is conducted at the
secure landfill site to ensure that no contaminants that
may affect public health and the surrounding environment
are released from the landfill. Boreholes are to be installed
for collection of ground water samples at an interval of
30m distance. Samples are required to be collected and
analysed for various parameters to check for the presence
of pollutants in the ground water. Air quality monitoring
should also be conducted at frequent intervals.
Post closure measures
The following post closure measures have been suggested
which need to be adopted after complete closure of the
landfill site.
A final cover maintenance exercise is to be performed
on a routine basis. The integrity and effectiveness of the
final cover is to be regularly maintained, drainage should
be kept clear of accumulated debris and dead vegetation
should be replaced. Rainfall induced erosion or other dam-
age should be prevented, the environmental monitoring
facility should be maintained and analysis of the samples
collected from the monitoring facilities should be carried
out to check the presence of the pollutants.
Conclusions
The major sludges generated in the refinery are oily, bio
and chemical sludge. At present in India sixteen refineries
are in operation which contribute significantly to sludge
generation. Sludges usually contain various pollutants
such as phenols, heavy metals, etc. Uncontrolled disposal
of sludges on land and in lagoons leads to severe environ-
mental pollution. After the introduction of the Hazardous
Wastes (Handling & Management) Rules, industries are
more concerned with the sludge management problem and
are in search of environmentally friendly solutions. A case
study was undertaken by the authors for the Numaligarh
Refinery. Various feasible alternatives of waste manage-
ment systems were identified. A ranking exercise has been
carried out to evaluate the alternatives and to select the
appropriate one for the Numaligarh Refinery. Eight assess-
ment criteria have been considered during the landfill
exercise, these are health risk, environmental risk, aes-
thetic risk, cost, engineering features, land requirement,
skilled labour and resource recovery. The selected waste
management system has been designed in detail and the
successful implementation of the system will ensure a clean
and pollution free environment.

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