ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING OF

PETROLEUM INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION

PRESENTED BYPORISHMITA GOGOI (8)YADAV KRISHNA GOGOI (13)

INTRODUCTION

• Environmental systems can be thought of as complex dynamic “organism” comprised of numerous physical, chemical and biological interactions and interdependencies, functioning at various levels .

The environmental impact of exploration and production activities of the Petroleum industry is diverse, ranging from negligible effects of landscape through severe degradation, health hazards to significant and unavoidable impacts like pollution from oil spills and subsidence due to fluid withdrawal from the subsurface.

Petroleum industry , which unite anthropogenic activities to explore for produce ,transport world wide and process around 3.5 billion tons of crude oil and 2.5 giga m3 of natural gas and their derivatives each year. More than 2500 refined products , including liquefied petroleum gas , gasoline , kerosene ,diesel fuel , fuel oils lubricants and feed stocks for the petrochemical industry are the direct result of these activities . Bigger refineries intregrated with petrochemical plants may produce additionally different synthetic derivatives – from pure chemical to additives for fuels and lubricants , synthetic polymers ,rubber etc.

The environmental impact of petroleum is often negative because it is toxic to almost all forms of life and its extraction fuels climate change. Petroleum, commonly referred to as oil, is closely linked to virtually all aspects of present society, especially for transportation and heating for both homes and for commercial and industrial activities.

Environmental Challenges from Source to End Use

Drilling, processing and transportation Crude refining and transportation Use as fuel in industry and motor vehicles Downstream processing for petrochemicals

Pollution in Drilling & Production Exhaust gases from diesel engines and power generation sets Products of combustion due to flaring (low pressure, high

pressure or technical flare) Produced water containing dissolved and emulsified crude oil

constituents, natural salts, organic chemicals and trace metals Solid wastes comprising drill cuttings and drilling fluid mud Oil spills Noise Disposal of drill cuttings. Disposal of unusable drilling fluids. Disposal of treated water (formation water) Flaring of gases

Impacts of petroleum industrial activities.

Crude oil is a mixture of many different kinds of organic compounds , many of which are highly toxic . Crude oil and petroleum distillates cause birth defects . Benzene is present in both crude oil and gasoline and is known to causes some diseases in humans.

Petroleum distillates can create a sheen on the surface of water

Waste oil is used oil containing not only breakdown products but also impurities from use. Some examples of waste oil are used oils such as hydraulic oil , transmission oil, brake fluids, motor oil,  gear box oil and synthetic oil . Many of the same problems associated with natural petroleum exist with waste oil. When waste oil from vehicles drips out engines over streets and roads, the oil travels into the water table bringing with it such toxins as benzene . This poisons both soil and drinking water. Runoff from storms carries waste oil into rivers and oceans, poisoning them as well.

A beach after an oil spill

When oil or petroleum

distillates are burned , usually the combustion is not complete. This means that incompletely burned compounds are created in addition to just water and carbon dioxide. The other compounds are often toxic to life. Examples are carbon monoxide and methanol. Also, fine particulates of soot blacken humans' and other animals' lungs and cause heart problems or death

Petroleum diesel exhaust from a truck

Acid rainHigh temperatures created by the combustion of petroleum cause nitrogen gas in the surrounding air to oxidize, creating nitrous oxides. Nitrous oxides, along with sulfur dioxide from the sulfur in the oil, combine with water in the atmosphere to create acid rain. Acid rain causes many problems such as dead trees and acidified lakes with dead fish. Coral reefs in the world's oceans are killed by acidic water caused by acid rain

Trees killed by acid rain, an unwanted side effect of burning petroleum

Climate change Humans burning large amounts of petroleum create large amounts of

CO2 (carbon dioxidegas that traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere.

Oil spills An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the

environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is usually applied to marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters , but spills may also occur on land. Oil spills may be due to releases of crude oil from tankers, pipelines, railcars, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells , as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) and their by-products, heavier fuels used by large ships such as  or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil.

Volatile organic compounds

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are gases or vapours emitted by various solids and liquids, many of which have short- and long-term adverse effects on human health and the environment. VOCs from petroleum are toxic and some like benzene are extremely toxic, carcinogenic and cause DNA damage. Benzene often makes up about 1% of crude oil and gasoline. Benzene is present in automobile exhaust. More important for vapors from spills of diesel and crude oil are aliphatic, volatile compounds. Although "less toxic" than compounds like benzene, their overwhelming abundance can still cause health concerns even when benzene levels in the air are relatively low. The compounds are sometimes collectively measured as "Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons" or "TPH." Petroleum hydrocarbons such as gasoline, diesel, or jet fuel intruding into indoor spaces from underground storage tanks or brownfields threaten safety (e.g., explosive potential) and causes adverse health effects from inhalation

REGULATIONS AND

PRECAUTIONS

Standards & Guidelines for Drilling(1996) Drill cuttings to be transported through a conveyor system to the disposal pit

after proper washing No drill cuttings ( of any composition) shall be disposed off shore

Standards & Guidelines for Drilling(1996) Drilling mud to be disposed in secured landfill For off shore installation , unusable portion of the drilling mud shall be

brought back to the shore for disposal in secured landfill The spent oil based mud shall be brought back to shore for proper treatment

or incineration

Revised Guidelines for Disposal of Drill Cuttings and Drilling Fluids: On-Shore Installations

Drill cuttings originating from on-shore or locations close to the shoreline and

separated from Water Base Mud(WBM) should be properly washed and unusable

drilling fluids such as WBM, Oil Base Mud(OBM) should be disposed in a well

designed pit with impervious liner and leachate collection system

OBM having <1.0% aromatic content is permitted in special cases

Revised Guidelines for Disposal of Drill Cuttings and Drilling Fluids: On-Shore Installations

Drill cuttings after washing should have oil content less than 1mg/kg

Barite used for drilling fluid should not contain mercury more than 1mg/kg and

cadmium more than 3mg/kg

Drill site should be restored after completion of drilling operations and waste

material should be removed

Environmentally acceptable methods for disposal of drill waste such as injection

to formation through casing annulus,land farming, bio-remediation, incineration

and solidification may be permitted on a case to case basis.

Revised Guidelines for Disposal of Drill Cuttings and Drilling Fluids: Off-Shore Installations

Use of diesel base mud is prohibited. Only WBM is permitted for off-shore

drilling except in special cases where OBM with low toxicity may be

permitted

The chemical additives used in drilling fluid should be bio-degradable and with

low toxicity

Hexavalent chromium compound should not be used in drilling fluid and in

case chromium compound is used, the DF?DC should not be disposed off-

shore

Revised Guidelines for Disposal of Drill Cuttings and Drilling Fluids: Off-Shore Installations

Bulk discharge of drilling fluid should be avoided

WBM/OBM/ should be recycled to the maximum extent. Unusable portion

of WBM should not be discharged into sea

Drill cuttings of any composition should not be discharged in sensitive

areaS

Revised Guidelines for Disposal of Drill Cuttings and Drilling Fluids: Off-Shore Installations Where drill cuttings are associated with high oil content from hydrocarbon

bearing formation , the drill cuttings with oil content more than 10mg/kg should not be disposed off-shore

DC water should be treated to conform to the standards before disposal into sea

Daily discharge of DC should be monitored

Oil Refining

Minimizing Emissions

For minimizing emissions of sulphur dioxide, use of fuel with lower sulphur content, upgradation of SRU unit and tail gas treatment

Retrofitting of Nox burners in existing refineries and low Nox burners in new units

Use of Leak Detection & Repair (LDAR), vapour recovery system and switch over to refrigeration system for LPG storage to reduce hydrocarbon loss and VOC emissions

Compliance of fuel quality standards

Minimizing Wastewater

Reuse and recycling of treated effluent(e.g waste water use in de-salter and fire fighting system)

Compliance of progressively stringent effluent standards Move towards 100% utilisation of waste water and zero discharge

Solid Waste Management

New technologies for improving recovery of oil from oily waste Improvement in handling and disposal of oily sludge ( Oil zapper) State of art technologies for preventing oil spillage at crude

loading/unloading facilities Reuse of petroleum coke with high sulphur content by large scale

industries with proper pollution control systems

How do they clean up the oil on the beaches or the water after a spill?

The Oil that gets washed up on the shores

are mechanically cleaned by Humans. The

oil is first absorbed using sorbents. Then

the remaining parts are cleaned using

shovels. The residual parts are then allowed

to break up naturally or biological agents are

used to decompose them to carbon dioxide

and other less toxic components

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Tools for controlling Oil Spills

Mechanical:-

Booms: large floating barriers that round up oil and lift the oil off the water

Skimmers: skim the oil

Sorbents: large absorbents that absorb oil

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Chemical:-Chemical and biological agents: helps to break

down the oilVacuums: remove oil from beaches and water

surface

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Precautionary Measures to check Air Pollution Problems

1. By Using Absorbers2. Application of Vapour Recovery System3. Standardization of the height of the flare stacks.4. By introduction of diluters 5. Air regulation control during the combustion of natural gas6. Pre burning treatment to the various effluents before discharging to atmosphere.7. Replacement of the damages of greenery near installations, work centers etc.8. Control of flare light by virtue of which majority of birds & insects have been migrated.9. Good design of equipments.

Impact of petroleum industry activities on the environment of the Niger Delta and its monitoring and remediation regulations.

The Niger Delta is a triangular shaped area located at the southern tip of Nigeria. Niger Delta is the 13th largest sedimentary basin in the world and a prolific hydrocarbon province with an estimated reserve of about 30 billion barrels of oil and 167 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

The flurry of exploration and production activities ranging from appropriation of community land for running seismic lines and building construction, through improper

disposal of drill cuttings, spent drilling mud as well as waste water and domestic waste to oil spillages and gas flaring has led to severe degradation of the Niger Delta environment.

A three-fold impact emerges from the oil exploration and production activities

in the areas. First, the environment has been polluted, secondly, there is depletion in the quality of life and livelihood of the inhabitants and finally the communities have not been developed.

ultimate economic effect of oil industry activity impact on environment translates to pecuniary effects that can be measured in terms of reduced real incomes and loss of alternative use of resources consumed by oil companies.

International and Local Environmental ProtectionLaws

There is no dispute over the existence of pollutants and degradation of environment generated and

occasioned by oil and gas exploration and production activity. The controversy has always been over the

magnitude of the degradation and its long term effect on development as well as the response of the

Operators. Several international instruments exist to protect various components of the environment by

regulating the operational discharge of the oil and gas industry. In Nigeria , regulations on environmental

policy relevant to the petroleum industry can be found in several legislations.

Some Relevant Statutory Instruments of Environmental Policy in Nigeria

S/N Statutory Instrument Objective1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Minerals Ordinance (1914) amended 1925, 1950, 1958

Oil Pipeline Act (1956) amended 1965Public Health Act (1958)

Criminal Code (1958)

Mineral Oils (Safety) Regulations (1963)Petroleum Regulations (1967)

Oil in Navigable Waters and Related Regulations (1968

Petroleum Related Regulations Act (1969)

Land Use Act (1978)

Associated Gas Re-injection, Act (1979), amended 1984, 1985

To prohibit the pollution of water courses in the process of mining andprospecting for any mineral, including petroleum.

Provides among others, for the prevention of pollution of land and waterresources as a result of petroleum and production activitiesProvides Legal Framework for the preservation and management ofpublic health.Provide legal framework for seeking redress from environmentaldiseconomies, among othersProvides framework for health, safety and environmentally– friendly exploration and production activitiesProvide framework for safe petroleum operations, including environmental protection .

Prohibits discharge of oil into navigable water courses and other areas.

Major legislation on petroleum industry to date. Provides encompassingRelated Regulations framework for the regulation of upstream and downstream petroleum activities so as to protect the environment.

To reform existing land ownership rights through nationalization.Adequate and fair compensation to be paid for loss of surface rights .

Provide statutory basis for the regulation of gas flaring in Nigeria.

CONCLUSIONPetroleum industry activities, if not always, have environmental consequences that result from activities inherent in the

exploration, production, and processing of oil and gas. Therefore, where oil and gas development is permitted, all

projects should be subject to rigorous environmental assessment, monitoring and review by all interested stakeholders .

Government can motivate the stakeholders by providing, propagating and fostering the enabling fiscal, economic and

social environments including the maintenance of a favourable legal framework that will support the process . Thus far,

public awareness and concern about our environment has been growing thereby prompting the government to develop

and/or revise existing policies, laws, regulations, guidelines, and performance standards to ensure environmentally

sound petroleum industry operations . The government has the sole responsibility of setting the ground rules and

providing the framework for appropriate industrial development while ensuring that our environment is adequately

protected .

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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