Kazakhstan journal for oil & gas industryKazakhstan journal for oil & gas industry2707-42262957-806XKMG Engineering10891410.54859/kjogi108914Review ArticleMethods of disposal of drilling sludge. Priority DIRECTIONSAlexeyevaTatyana N.t05052002@yandex.ruhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-4456-5913SabirovBolatkhan F.b.sabirov@kmge.kzhttps://orcid.org/0009-0006-2206-8542ShagilbayevAdil Zh.a.shagilbayev@kmge.kzhttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-3653-7882GubashevSarsenbay A.s.gubashev@kmge.kzhttps://orcid.org/0009-0009-7261-9324IsmaganbetovaGulmira Kh.g.ismaganbetova@kmge.kzhttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-2293-6269St. Petersburg State Marine Technical UniversityAtyrau Branch of KMG Engineering24122025741121230309202514122025Copyright © 2025, Alexeyeva T.N., Sabirov B.F., Shagilbayev A.Z., Gubashev S.A., Ismaganbetova G.K.2025<p>In the process of hydrocarbon exploration and production, oil and gas industry enterprises generate and accumulate a large amount of various waste, which must be disposed of safely, with minimal impact on the environment and without affecting human health. A significant portion of this waste consists of drilling sludge, spent drilling and process fluids, as well as wastewater.</p> <p>The study was based on information regarding the practical application of drilling sludge disposal methods, as well as the results of scientific experiments published in open-access scientific and technical journals, conference proceedings, research reports, and monographs. Based on the conducted review, the main directions of drilling sludge disposal currently applied in practice with the production of useful products have been identified.</p> <p>In particular, technologies for the production of construction materials and soils for the technical stage of land reclamation and conservation of disturbed lands are considered promising, technically well-developed, economically feasible, and are currently undergoing experimental and industrial testing. Technologies for the treatment and injection of drilling sludge into underground formations should also be regarded as potentially applicable and promising, as they ensure the environmental safety of exploration and production facilities both onshore and on the continental shelf.</p>drilling sludgedisposal methodssludge pitsfine particulate dustasphalt concretesoil reclamation agentpolycyclic aromatic hydrocarbonsthermal desorption and decompositiongeological formationsannular injectionencapsulationбұрғылау шламықайта өңдеу әдістерішлам жинағыштартозаң сияқты майда шаңасфальтбетонрекультивантполиароматикалық көмірсутектертермиялық десорбция және деструкциягеологиялық құрылымдараннулярлық иньекциякапсуляциябуровые шламыметоды утилизациишламонакопителимелкодисперсная пыльасфальтобетонрекультивантполиароматические углеводородытермические десорбция и деструкциягеологические формациианнулярная инъекциякапсуляции1.Piskunova SV, Nifontov YA. Development of the technical and process design details on secondary use of drilling cuttings on marine platforms of the arctic region. Marine intellectual technologies. 2020;2(2):65–70. doi: 10.37220/MIT.2020.48.2.047. (In Russ).2.Piskunova SV, Nifontov YA. Conceptual, organizational and technical solutions proposed concerning drilling cuttings disposal during the well construction in offshore territories. PROneft. Professionally about Oil. 2025;10(1):76–82. doi: 10.51890/2587-7399-2025-10-1-76-82. (In Russ).3.Vlasov AS. Geologicheskoye obosnovaniye ispol’zovaniya buruvogo shama v proizvodstve asfal’tobetona [dissertation]. Perm; 2022. Available from: dissercat.com/content/geoekologicheskoe-obosnovanie-ispolzovaniya-burovogo-shlama-v-proizvodstve-asfaltobetona. (In Russ).4.Gaevaya EV, Tarasova SS, Rudakova LV. Ekologicheskaya otsenka burovykh shlamov I razrabotka sposoba ikh bioremediatsii. Tyumen: Northern Urals Agrarian State University; 2024. 96 p. (In Russ).5.Pichugin EA. Zakonomernosti polucheniya stabilizirovannykh geoekologicheski ustoychuvykh smesey na osnove burovykh shlamov [dissertation]. Perm; 2019. Available from: pstu.ru/files/2/file/adm/dissertacii/pichugin/Avtoreferat.pdf?ysclid=meocypjizy11113103. (In Russ).6.Bulatov AI, Makarenko PP, Shemetov VY. Okhrana okruzhayushchey sredy v neftegazovoy promyshlennosti. Moscow: Nedra; 1997. 483 p. (In Russ).7.Shenfeld BE, Shapkin VE, Kostyleva NV, et al. Otsenka vozdeystviya na komponenty okruzhayushchey sredy burovykh shlamov, nakoplennykh na neftegazovykh mestorozhdeniyakh, I prognoz izmeneniya kachestva okruzhayushchey sredy pri ikh utilizatsii. Perm, 2014.8.Pichugin E, Shenfeld B. To the Issue of Differences of Drilling Sludge and Oil Sludge. Ecology and Industry of Russia. 2017;21(7):14–19. doi: 10.18412/1816-0395-2017-7-14-19. (In Russ).9.Lebedev AN, Arustamov EA. Ecological condition of the oil and gas industry of Western Siberia. Russian journal of resources, conservation and recycling. 2018;5(2). doi: 10.15862/07NZOR218. (In Russ).10.Patent RUS №2422347/ 27.06.11. Byul. №18. Gafarov NA, Rjabokon’ AA, Savich OI, et al. Method of underground disposal of drilling waste in permafrost formations. Available from: patents.google.com/patent/RU2422347C1/ru. (In Russ).11.Ushakov KV, Zinoviev NV, Tkachev VV, Romanov GR. In-situ injection of drilling waste into tectonically screened traps. Earth sciences and subsoil use. 2024;47(2):158–169. doi: 10.21285/2686-9993-2024-47-2-158-169. (In Russ).12.groteck.ru [Internet]. Groteck Business Media. Technologiya obratnoy zakachki otkhodov bureniya proekt Sakhalin-2 [cited 2025 Jun 22]. Available from: new.groteck.ru/images/catalog/32772/d859c3328796c9f4ad644d02c6c514c8.pdf. (In Russ).13.sakhalinwatch.ru [Internet]. Sakhalin Environment Watch. Muddied Waters A Survey of Offshore Oilfield Drilling Wastes and Disposal Techniques to Reduce the Ecological Impact of Sea Dumping [cited 2025 Jun 22]. Available from: sakhalinwatch.ru/2000/05/01/doklad-burovye-othody-issledovanie-burovyh-rastvorov-ispolzuemyh-na-morskih-mestorozhdeniyah-nefti-i-tehnologij-ih-udaleniya-snizhajushhih-vozdejstvie-na-morskuju-sredu-sbrosov-v-more-dzhonatan-uills/. (In Russ).14.Snakin VV, Vlasova IV, Konovalova OV, et al. Vnedreniye printsipa “nulevykh sbrosov” pri osvoyenii shel’fovykh mestorozhdeniy. Research Bulletin by Russian Maritime Register of Shipping. 2015;40/41:8–11. (In Russ).15.Gaurina-Međimurec N, Pašić B, Mijić P, Medved I. Deep Underground Injection of Waste from Drilling Activities – An Overview. Minerals. 2020;10(4):303. doi: 10.3390/min10040303.16.Moiseenkov AV, Gafarov TN, Oblekov RG, et al. Geomechanical aspects of drilling cuttings reinjection issue. Geophysical research. 2024;25(4):63-80. doi: 10.21455/gr2024.4-3. (In Russ).17.Veil JA, Dusseault MB. (Argonne National Laboratory). Evaluation of Slurry Injection Technology for Management of Drilling Wastes. Report. U.S. Department of Energy National Petroleum Technology Office; 2003 May. Contract No. W-31-109-Eng-38.18.Nifontov YA. Ratsional’noye ispol’zovaniye otkhodov obogashcheniya uglya I snizheniye ekologicheskoy napryazhennosti pri razrabotke mestorozhdeniy Severa Rossii. Saint Petersburg: SPMI; 2000. 138 p. (In Russ).19.Nifontov YA. The structure formation mechanism in wet coal fines briquetting with an active binder. Obogashchenie Rud. 2020;6:41–46. doi: 10.17580/or.2020.06.07. (In Russ).20.Zhang A, Li M, Lv P, et al. Disposal and Reuse of Drilling Solid Waste from a Massive Gas Field. Procedia Environmental Sciences. 2016;31:577–581. doi: 10.1016/j.proenv.2016.02.089.