The present work has two dimensions: analytical and environmental. On the one hand we proved that thermogravimetric analysis can be used to perform fast characterization of oil refinery sludge. To this end;
thermogravimetric curves were deconvoluted by using autocatalytic kinetics to take into account acceleratory phases in a thermal degradation performed in oxygen-containing atmosphere or at high heating rates. Based on thermogravimetric results;
oil refinery sludge was modeled in terms of various fractions (pseudo-components) which degrade as major oil cuts. On the other hand;
as an alternative to landfill;
we have seen that Soxhlet extraction allows recovery almost half of the weight of sludge as a mixture of hydrocarbons;
similar to gas-oil;
which burns without residue. This ensures both;
waste inerting and significant reduction in sludge volume. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved;