CRUDE OIL AND ITS IMPACT ON SOIL POLLUTION: ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT

International Journal of Civil Engineering and Technology (IJCIET), ISSN 0976 – 6308 (Print),
ISSN 0976 – 6316(Online), Volume 6, Issue 1, January (2015), pp. 127-135 © IAEME
127
CRUDE OIL AND ITS IMPACT ON SOIL POLLUTION:
ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT
Bader A. Hakami
1
Faculty of Earth Sciences, King Abdul Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
ABSTRACT
Environmental risk assessment is a scientific activity that includes a significant review of the
information or data for quantifying and identifying the risk linked to prospective risk. Risk
management is applied to know the need to compel the measures to control and manage the risk. The
working methodology in this paper is based on various research studies that relates to environmental
risk for soil pollution with hydrocarbons obtained from accidental crude oil spills. Data is required
for the separation of gas oil, which is complex, and its assessment of the environmental risk for
industrial sites for drilling is done by various quantitative and qualitative methods. Environmental
risk calculation methodology for soil is structured and presented in the form of steps and modules
etc. There are five interrelated modules in the assessment of pollution with hydrocarbons from crude
oil in the environment risk that are hazard assessment, hazard identification, environmental risk
management, estimation of risks and assessment of environmental risk with severity of
consequences based on risk criteria These modules required the information and data in the form of
extraction and gas oil separation, technical data for the equipment in the upstream industrial
activities, physic chemical analysis for the soil contaminants, charts, equations on mathematics, soil
properties that influence the severity and consequences of the default risk as well as assessment of
environmental risk intensity in matrix form. The methodology part explains the steps that are
required to calculate the entry and involvement with additional studies such as chemical study,
geotechnical study with pedological study as well.
Keywords: Environmental Risk, Risk Analysis, Soil Pollution, Crude oil.
INTRODUCTION
The main aim of the Sectoral Operational Program for the environment is to reduce the
existing gap to protect the issues of environmental protection. All the constructions and all the
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Volume 6, Issue 1, January (2015), pp. 127-135
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installations are done according to the standards set (Agbogidi & Nweke,2005). All best available
tools and techniques with specific values for the production limit established in the reference
document with the best available techniques There is a requirement to introduce the best available
techniques in the environmental management system to avoid and control, manage and organize the
environmental risk. Risk assigns a possible hazard for the near future as per according to the rules
and regulations. The risk depends on the cause or the type of the technological or natural risk further
depends on the type of health risk, ecological and environmental risk which is based on the strength
either on high or accepted risk or on non-acceptable risk. On the quantitative as well as on the
qualitative basis, there is a wide range of methodologies for risk assessment. The assessment of the
environmental risk includes the calculation of the possibility of an unpleasant effect in a particular
period and is repeated as equation (Babu et. al., 2002)
R= probability x severity (1)
The qualitative risk assessment considers few factors such as receptor, path of action, threat
or source. All of these are considered as the tools of the pollutants which are first generated and then
identified or selected to be on the site. Path of action that is one of the factors can be defined as the
manner with the help of which the pollutants migrate to the receptor. The factor can be defined as the
subjects that are affected by some dangerous toxic and harmful substances on site that includes all
the environmental factors along with people and plants as well. The quantitative method of risk
assessment inspects the threat that is based on indicators that are specific, measurable, available,
relevant and timely. The quantitative risk assessment also estimates the size and impact of these
consequences, their possibility and future prospects. For the analysis because of the environmental
pollution produced or created by specific tool for extraction, activity of gas, oil separation of the
proposed methodology is further divided into five major modules which are organized and
interconnected with each other at each level and each stage of the job and the effort done (Ziegler,
2005). All these modules will create main sources which can be generated by putting negative effects
on the environment, how these modules are generated with the negative effects on the environment,
what is the substance which affects the environment in a harmful way, migration trail of pollutants
reaches the goal, environment risk is assigned by the risk which is known as grades for the reasons
that be the cause of possibility and regularity which is indirectly related to the risk criteria and the
procedures to lessen the amount of the environmental risk to an adequate or suitable stage ( Duffus,
2001).
Specific upstream facility shown by the main process flow diagram
It is very to know the specific procedure of the flow of activities of extraction of crude oil and
separation of liquid gas for determining the environmental risk. Here under is the flow diagram of
the field production facility (Osuji, 2001). The upstream process is made of the following important
steps which are: combination of hydrocarbons in the type of gaseous and liquid form which gets
along with the reservoir water and the impurities are taken out from the wells, the fluids which have
been taken out are transported by the means of pipelines to the field production facilities, separating
the oil impurities of the reservoir water which is the liquid part from the gaseous phase in the
separators, after the gas separation obtained from mixing and combining the reservoir water with
crude oil is stored in provisional tanks, rich and wet gases are moved further to the next procedure:
light fuel gas and C3-C5 cut, fuel gas directs to the gas distribution system, crude oil is treated with
thermo-chemical in the special tanks specially designed for this purpose to destroy the crude oil
water and to collect the brine water. Brine water is a part that is inserted or injected again into the
reservoir and its other part is sent to the unit of water treatment (Chukuigwe, 2000).

129
Assessment of environmental risk and its methodology description
For the identification of the factors that are involved in the assessment of the environmental
risk, its methodology has been divided into parts as modules where each module involves a structure
of levels in a number of stages or levels which show the information required for the final evaluation
(Vega & Jarquin,2001). Modules and their main stages are described here under in figure 2.

130
Module 1- Identification of hazard
On the basis of qualitative analysis, the module of hazard identification deals with the
technical aspects of the threats such as pollutants, causes and sources that may be harmful and put an
adverse effect on the environmental risk. In the module of identification of the hazards the areas are
analyzed where the upstream facilities for taking out or for the extraction are located, where the
treatment is done, and the storage, also the separation and crude oil transportation (Chukuigwe,
2000). All the activities that are responsible for the pollution of soil are considered and mentioned in
this hazard identification module. In this hazard identification module there are two relative stages
with different steps at different levels, which are also taken in consideration theses are:
Module 1- Stage 1
In stage one the collection of data and information that is required for the evaluation on the
basis of qualitative analysis of the hazards has been mentioned, followed by certain steps:
Step 1- For the assessment of the environmental risk, setting or preparing the technological
steps (Tiido & Pederson, 2006).
Step 2 - Establishment of the flow procedure.
Step 3 - Establishment of the equipment that also be a source of pollution.
Step 4 - Identifying the possible reasons of pollution.
Step 5- Flow diagram of waste and secondary materials as well as raw materials.
Step 6- Electing and selecting the possible pollutants.

131
Step 7- Diagram presentation in the form of source-cause-effect that is found on the basis of
Ishikowa diagram presentation.
Step 8 – Establishment of the form of pollution.
More deep explanation of the steps 6 and step 7 has been done. In the sixth step pollutant is
selected as a whole in the module of hazard identification which is to be evaluated depending on the
individual standardized components analyzed in the laboratory (Duffus, 2001) Total petroleum
hydrocarbons are analyzed and checked for the oil pollution of soil, few metals are also present in the
drilling fluids. Ample of research studies have been done in our country for establishing the soil
pollution by heavy metals and for establishing the nature. Whereas on the other hand, in step seven,
the diagrammatic presentation of the cause-effect that is the correlation between the cause and the
effect on the environmental pollution. The Ishikawa diagram generates the consequences in the form
of a horizontal arrow that is tilted at 45 degrees on the main which also shows the main causes which
are responsible (Vega & Jarquin, 2001). The soil pollution can have many various causes as well as
many sources. Overall the stage one completes with the establishment of the accidental or diffused
pollution.
Module 1- Stage 2
In the stage two matrix source oath receptor is determined which contains all the probable
sources of pollution, receptor and migration routes to calculate the environmental risk. The main
hazard sources responsible for this are the amount pollutants present may be in the form of chemical
pollutants or in the form of physical pollutants (Agbogidi et. al.,2005). Matrix vectors are the
dispersion paths and transports of the pollutants, target or receptors as the negative effects of the
pollution. On the basis of the matrix module 2 depends, what is the assessment of hazard. The
presence of the sources of pollution, contaminated areas, and pollutants which affects the ground is
represented in figure no. 3 in this hazard identification module.

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Module 2 – Hazard Assessment
The hazard assessment is another form of quantitative assessment that is based on Physio-
chemical features of many different soil samples (Oberdorster & Cheek, 2000). For evaluating the
hazard assessment specific, measurable, available, relevant and timely indicators are required. The
module two which is the module of hazard assessment has three different stages.
• Stage 1 Concentration measurement- In this soil quality investigation is done
• Stage 2 Pollution type – Concentration is measured in the laboratory.
• Stage 3 Decision – Concentrations of pollutants in soil are rated by the legislation, when soil
pollution is insignificant, no measures are needed (Duffus, 2001).
When the concentrations in the soil are below the alert threshold and need to be monitored
then it is potential soil pollution and when concentration in the soil is above the threshold, soil
pollution is significant only few remedies are required. Module 3 is represented with its stages in
figure number 4.
Module 3- Estimation of risk
The risk estimation module has two different stages
• Stage 1- On the basis of Geotechnical soil quantitative investigation is done after that final
report is prepared.

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• Stage 2- Estimation of the severity of consequences and probability are assigned to grades in
the final report of module 3 stage 1. The causes depend on the pollutant types and the number
of factors. In figure 5 the stages are presented clearly- module 3
Module 4 Risk Assessment
ALARP principle can be used to assess and evaluate the risk also to limit the reasons for the
unacceptable risk which is shown in the diagram presentation in figure 6. The result of Module 4 is
very important to get the module 5 which is the risk management. (Onwurah, 2002).

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Module 5 – Environmental risk management
The environmental risk module determines the remedies of maintaining an environment risk
as an acceptable on risk type like monitoring, reducing, prevention and remedial measures
(Babu,2002). All the elements of soil and action for the decrease in environmental risk is shown in
the figure number 7. Management practices for prevention for soil pollution are to develop
approaches for decreasing the release level, periodically review with identification of prevention
options for pollution, development and implementation of the methodology for reduction and
prevention of accidental release from operations (Oberdorster & Cheek,2000). Strategic elements
are used for controlling environmental risk.
CONCLUSION
Protection of soil quality is the main priority of this research study. All the five modules
discussed in this research are interrelated with each other, estimation of hazard and identifying of the
sources generates significant pollution of soil. After the implication of the tools and techniques on
different stages lead to the more deep study of other related studies (Anozie & Onwurah, 2001).
ALARP criteria are taken into consideration in the assessment of risk. Few strategical elements have
been established in the environmental management system for the reduction of risk at an acceptable
level. All the remedies mentioned in this research can also be used in monitoring the environmental
risks, but more accuracy is needed for significant accidents at different levels and different stages as
per according to the law and regulations.
REFERENCES
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oil on seedling growth of Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.De Witt). Global Journal of Pure
Applied Science, 11, 453-456.
[2] Anozie, O., Onwurah, I. N. E., (2001). Toxic effects of Bonny light crude oil in rats after
ingestion of contaminated diet. Nigerian J. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
(Proceedings Supplement). 16 (3), 1035-1085.

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[3] Babu, T. S., Huang, X. D., Greenberg, B. M., (2002). Reactive oxygen species mediated
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[4] C.A. Chukuigwe, Environmental Risk Management: A Global Consciousness.1st ed. Osia
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ISSN Print: 0976 – 6308, ISSN Online: 0976 – 6316.

CRUDE OIL AND ITS IMPACT ON SOIL POLLUTION: ENVIRONMENTAL RISK ASSESSMENT

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