Process for treating oily sludge

Abstract

A method for aerobically treating a low solids water-containing oily sludge which comprises combining said sludge with a biologically inert, non-friable bulking agent characterized by having a substantial component with a density less than water to form a mixture, passing an oxygen-containing gas through said mixture to separate excess water and form a high solids content reaction mixture, reacting said high solids content reaction mixture in the presence of an aerobic biomass under effective aerobic conditions to form a treated sludge and an active biomass-coated bulking agent component having a density less than water in said high solids content reaction mixture, separating said biomass-coated bulking agent component from said treated sludge, and recovering said treated sludge from said reaction mixture has been provided.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.