{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]],"date-time":"2026-09-08T14:07:05Z","timestamp":1788876425852,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":38,"publisher":"American Chemical Society (ACS)","issue":"35","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>Petroleum sludge accumulation in crude oil storage terminals leads to significant operational inefficiencies impacting tank capacities and unplanned maintenance shutdowns. To understand the mechanistic origin of sludge formation, we performed an integrated physicochemical characterization of the source crude, tank farm crude, associated brine, and tank bottom sludge. The source and tank farm crude oils have measurable differences in their properties such as density, viscosity, SARA fractions, and metal content, which indicates compositional evolution during midstream transport. The sludge sample contains \u223c30 wt % inorganic solids, comprising sand, corrosion products, and carbonate scale; \u223c53.5 wt % hydrocarbons; \u223c47 wt % asphaltenes; and \u223c16.5 wt % associated water. Rheological measurements show pronounced non-Newtonian behavior, with a yield stress of \u223c102 Pa at 25 \u00b0C, which decreases by more than half above 45 \u00b0C, consistent with a densely percolated particulate\u2013asphaltene network. SEM imaging reveals irregular inorganic particles with crystalline phases such as FeCO3, CaCO3, and silica-based minerals as confirmed by XRD. The associated brine contains \u223c9 g\/L dissolved salts, elevated bicarbonate, and a basic pH, conditions that favor carbonate scaling, which promotes incorporation of inorganic phases into the sludge. Overall, the results demonstrate that the sludge accumulation process is heavily governed by asphaltene aggregation as well as midstream-derived inorganic particulates and entrained water, resulting in a rigid composite structure. This comprehensive analysis provides a mechanistic basis for sludge mitigation strategies focused on corrosion control, solids management, and brine chemistry conditioning.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1021\/acsomega.5c07472","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T18:28:07Z","timestamp":1788287287000},"page":"52389-52398","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Physicochemical Pathways Governing Sludge Formation\nin Tank Farm Storage: Comparative Analysis of Crude, Brine, and Sludge"],"prefix":"10.1021","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9523-6400","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Mohammad","family":"Shoaib","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rakan","family":"Alajmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Abdulrahman","family":"Ajina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahmed","family":"Owais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Omprakash","family":"Pal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2881-0289","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nadrah","family":"Alawani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mohammed","family":"Alaboalirat","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sultan","family":"Alotaibi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Osama","family":"Alzahrani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aly B","family":"Hafaida","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Saudi Aramco , , ,","place":["Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 31311"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"316","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]]},"reference":[{"key":"2026090809092652000_cit1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jenvman.2022.114428","article-title":"Materials and energy recovery from\noily sludges removed from crude oil storage tanks (tank bottoms):\nA review of technologies","volume":"305","author":"Hochberg","year":"2022","journal-title":"Journal of Environmental\nManagement"},{"key":"2026090809092652000_cit2","unstructured":"Leontaritis, K. 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