Mechanical performance of sand concrete from oil wells by incorporation of alluvial sand and polypropylene fibers

Waste generated from drilling activities in the hydrocarbon industry poses a significant environmental risk, making proper management essential. One effective approach is to repurpose this waste in the production of sand concrete, offering a sustainable alternative to traditional sand concrete. This study experimentally explores the potential of incorporating oil well sand into sand concrete, reinforced with polypropylene fibers. The oil content in the well sand was reduced from 20% to 5% by partially replacing it with alluvial sand at varying proportions (12%, 20%, 30%). Fiber reinforcement was applied at dosages of 1 and 1.5 kg/m³. The reduction of oil content through the introduction of alluvial sand enhanced both the fresh and hardened properties of the sand concrete. The optimal mechanical performance (compressive and tensile strength) was achieved with a blend containing 30% alluvial sand and 70% oil well sand. Furthermore, polypropylene fibers at a dosage of 1.5 kg/m³ had a notable impact on improving the strength and reducing shrinkage in the concrete mixture containing 30% alluvial sand and 70% oil well sand.