Research Progress and Prospects on the Treating and Disposal for Waste Oil-Based Drilling Cuttings from Shale Gas Wells

Oil-based drilling cuttings (OBDC) from shale gas wells is a kind of typical hazardous waste produced during the exploration and development of shale gas reservoirs, which will endanger the natural ecosystem and human health. This article summarized the OBDC treating and disposal methods commonly used all over the world. The treating methods were divided into restriction, separation, and degradation, while the disposal methods were divided into landfill, land farming, and resource recovery. The technical principles, technological process, advantages, and limitations of existing OBDC treating and disposal methods were overviewed in detail, and the development prospects of OBDC and resource recovery were illustrated as well. Finally, we proposed to maximize the resource recovery of OBDC by multitechniques processing, tracking the processed products to improve the reliability of product quality. In addition, the data system for original materials used for different methods should be established to service industrial development.