Among pollutants, petroleum hydrocarbons are recognized as the priority pollutants of the environment. Petroleum hydrocarbons can cause changes in the physical and chemical properties of soils, leading to a decrease in the functional activity of the microbiota of soil biocenoses. The aim of the study was to develop ways and methods of oil-contaminated soil remediation with the new generation sorbents based on organomineral biofertilizer “Kazuglegumus” and aluminum alloys activated by indium, gallium, and tin. The structure and composition of the organomineral reagents, as well as soils with different degrees of contamination were proved by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and thermogravimetry. As a working hypothesis, it was accepted that the aluminum alloy activated by gallium, indium, and tin forms complex compounds with humic or fulvic acids, which are low-toxic or non-toxic for plants. The efficiency of cleaning oil-contaminated soils with organomineral sorbents was evaluated. The reduction of oil concentration in soil samples by 12–22% depending on the concentration of reagents and oil content in soil was revealed. The character of oil pollution impact on plants of legume families alfalfa, melilot, and sainfoin, which are characterized by the ability to accumulate and then give nitrogen to the soil, was studied. The phytotoxicity of uncontaminated and non-oil-contaminated soils was studied in laboratory and field conditions. Significantly accelerated plant growth was observed in samples of oil-contaminated soil after treatment with sorbent based on activated aluminum alloy Rau-85 and fertilizer “Kazuglegumus”. The plants had stronger root systems. These experiments are explained by the effect of Rau-85 alloys in favor of reducing the oil concentration to the normalized limits, as well as the transformation of natural humic substances and additionally applied fertilizer “Kazuglegumus” (potassium humates), which increased their biological activity.

The oil pipeline transportation of highly waxy oils when it is cold is accompanied by the deposition of paraffins in the inner surface of the pipeline. This study of the initial properties of the oil; the composition, structure, and nature of the components of normal alkanes in oil; and their influence on the aggregative stability of the resulting system makes it possible to find the best solutions to optimize the conditions of oil transportation with the lowest energy costs. This study shows that, according to the content of solid paraffin (14.0–16.2%), the oils of the Kumkol group of fields in Kazakhstan are highly waxy. They are characterized by high yield loss temperature values (+9–+12 °C), which also correlate with the values of the rheological parameters (τ₀ 1.389 Pa, 3.564 Pa). The influence of the temperature and shear rate on the shear stress and effective viscosity of the initial oils was studied. At temperatures below 20 °C, depending on the shear rate, there is an increase in the effective viscosity values (0.020 Pa∙s, 0.351 Pa∙s). The influence of the nature of solid hydrocarbons on the parameters of the paraffinization process and of the intensity of the paraffinization of the metal surfaces was studied. Our study shows that the main share of n-alkanes in the Kumkol and Akshabulak oils falls on paraffins of the C15–C44 group. The greater the temperature difference between the oil and the cold steel surface (≤40 °C), the lesser the amount of asphalt–resin–paraffin deposits (ARPDs) that fall out on the surface of the rod, although the content of long-chain paraffins prevails in these ARPDs. At the same time, the consistency of the released asphalt–resin–paraffin deposits (ARPDs) becomes denser, which makes their mechanical removal more difficult. Furthermore, the results of this study of the cooling rate shows that the rapid cooling of oils leads to the formation of a large number of crystallization centers, which leads to an increase in the values of the yield loss temperature and kinematic viscosity of the oils.

The concept of heating the near-wellbore zone (NWZ) using activated aluminum alloys offers a novel approach to enhancing oil recovery. This article reviews research on the development of hydrocarbon-based solvent formulations for removing asphaltene–resin–paraffin deposits (ARPD) in the NWZ and restoring well productivity. A comprehensive analysis of ARPD composition enabled the selection of solvent systems tailored to specific deposit types. The efficiency of ARPD removal from the NWZ, downhole equipment, and oil gathering systems in heavy and highly viscous Kazakhstani crude oils was evaluated using hydrocarbon solvent blends (e.g., hexane–toluene, gasoline–o-xylene, o-xylene–hexane–1-hexene) with surfactants (polyoxyethylene sorbitan–maleic anhydride esters), atactic polypropylene (APP), and activated aluminum alloys. The developed formulations accelerated ARPD breakdown and reduced energy consumption. It has been established that the optimal concentration of APP (0.5 wt.%) provides up to 100% cleaning efficiency and increases dissolving capacity by 25–30% compared to traditional binary systems. Cleaning efficiency is driven by a thermochemical reaction between water and the aluminum alloy, 2Al + 6H₂O → 2Al(OH)₃ + 3H₂↑ + 17 kJ, which depends on the alloy’s microstructure, grain boundary condition, and additive distribution. The exothermic effect of the reaction leads to the formation of a hot gas–steam–hydrogen mixture, where atomic hydrogen actively breaks down ARPD and increases the reservoir permeability by 2 to 4.5 times. Results show that a composite formulation of hexane–toluene–alloy–H₂O₂ (46.5:15:0.25:38.25) reduces the treatment time of ARPD-3 from 60 to 10 min while maintaining high efficiency at the level of 98.3%.

The possibility of improving the rheological characteristics of waxy oils by using low-viscosity oil as a diluent to optimize oil transportation has been studied. We have previously demonstrated the processes of paraffin deposition in the highly paraffinic oil of the Kumkol oilfields group. In this study, we examine the physicochemical properties and rheological parameters of highly paraffinic West Kazakhstan oil and light Aktobe oil (with different compositions of Aktobe oil—1 to 50%). Our data show that the Aktobe oils are characterized by a low paraffin content (5.6%), a low temperature of yield loss (−30 °C), and low density (820.2 kg/m³) compared with the West Kazakhstan oil mixture (17.3%; +15 °C; 880.2 kg/m³). The effective viscosity of the Aktobe oils at −5 °C was 0.021 Pa·s, while for the West Kazakhstan oil, it was 5.459 Pa·s at +5 °C. The addition of the low-viscosity Aktobe oil as a diluent led to a decrease in the temperature of loss of fluidity (+9 °C) of the highly solidified non-Newtonian West Kazakhstan oil, as well as a decrease in the viscosity (0.367 Pa·s). Accordingly, with the addition of Aktobe oils to the composite oil, the content of naphtheno-aromatic hydrocarbons increased, which led to an improvement in the aggregative stability of the oil dispersion and enhanced the viscosity properties of the oil.