Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions
Field and laboratory investigations were conducted to characterize the composition of petroleum hydrocarbons in oily sludge and the underlying contaminated soils in a decommissioned oilfield waste pit in Kuwait. The results show that the petroleum hydrocarbon composition in the oily sludge and conta...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1355 |
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| author | Hamad Al-Mebayedh Anyi Niu Chuxia Lin |
| author_facet | Hamad Al-Mebayedh Anyi Niu Chuxia Lin |
| author_sort | Hamad Al-Mebayedh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Field and laboratory investigations were conducted to characterize the composition of petroleum hydrocarbons in oily sludge and the underlying contaminated soils in a decommissioned oilfield waste pit in Kuwait. The results show that the petroleum hydrocarbon composition in the oily sludge and contaminated soils was spatially variable. Highly toxic petroleum hydrocarbon species such as BTEX and PAHs were generally lacking, and both sludge- and soil-borne hydrocarbons were dominated by long-chain petroleum hydrocarbons. The soil contamination depth was generally very shallow although localized deep profiles (>0.5 m) were found. A loose relationship was established between TPH in the sludge and that in the underlying soil. On average, the soil had a greater percentage of shorter-chain hydrocarbon fractions (either aliphatics or aromatics), as compared to the sludge. The environmental risk from the oily sludge and contaminated soils is considered to be relatively low. For cost-effective management of the environmental risk of decommissioning an oilfield waste pit, containment of the sludge and contaminated soils using a soil-capping approach may be sufficient to minimize the possible adverse environmental impacts from the decommissioned waste pit, and this may represent an option that is superior to other costly remediation strategies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:13:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-55e687d890d64fdca2fd450a7d9c6679 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T00:13:01Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-55e687d890d64fdca2fd450a7d9c66792023-11-23T15:56:13ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172022-01-01123135510.3390/app12031355Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert ConditionsHamad Al-Mebayedh0Anyi Niu1Chuxia Lin2School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford M5 4WT, UKSchool of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford M5 4WT, UKSchool of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Greater Manchester, Salford M5 4WT, UKField and laboratory investigations were conducted to characterize the composition of petroleum hydrocarbons in oily sludge and the underlying contaminated soils in a decommissioned oilfield waste pit in Kuwait. The results show that the petroleum hydrocarbon composition in the oily sludge and contaminated soils was spatially variable. Highly toxic petroleum hydrocarbon species such as BTEX and PAHs were generally lacking, and both sludge- and soil-borne hydrocarbons were dominated by long-chain petroleum hydrocarbons. The soil contamination depth was generally very shallow although localized deep profiles (>0.5 m) were found. A loose relationship was established between TPH in the sludge and that in the underlying soil. On average, the soil had a greater percentage of shorter-chain hydrocarbon fractions (either aliphatics or aromatics), as compared to the sludge. The environmental risk from the oily sludge and contaminated soils is considered to be relatively low. For cost-effective management of the environmental risk of decommissioning an oilfield waste pit, containment of the sludge and contaminated soils using a soil-capping approach may be sufficient to minimize the possible adverse environmental impacts from the decommissioned waste pit, and this may represent an option that is superior to other costly remediation strategies.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1355oily sludgecontaminated soilsoilfieldpetroleum hydrocarbondesert |
| spellingShingle | Hamad Al-Mebayedh Anyi Niu Chuxia Lin Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions Applied Sciences oily sludge contaminated soils oilfield petroleum hydrocarbon desert |
| title | Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions |
| title_full | Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions |
| title_fullStr | Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions |
| title_short | Petroleum Hydrocarbon Composition of Oily Sludge and Contaminated Soils in a Decommissioned Oilfield Waste Pit under Desert Conditions |
| title_sort | petroleum hydrocarbon composition of oily sludge and contaminated soils in a decommissioned oilfield waste pit under desert conditions |
| topic | oily sludge contaminated soils oilfield petroleum hydrocarbon desert |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/3/1355 |
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