Patent attributes
Apparatus and methods for bioremediating hydrocarbon contaminated solids. The method can include introducing a slurry comprising one or more drilling fluids and one or more hydrocarbon contaminated solids to a settling system. The settling system can include one or more housings having a receiving compartment at a first end thereof and a collecting compartment at a second end thereof. A barrier can be disposed in the receiving compartment, and at least one wall can be disposed transversely in the housing between the receiving and collecting compartments. The wall can have at least one aperture formed therethrough and at least one flow-restricting baffle disposed thereon, wherein the one or more baffles extend perpendicularly from the wall. The separated hydrocarbon contaminated solids can be contacted with one or more microorganism populations disposed between the receiving compartment and the collecting department.
