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Petroleum Industry Effluents and Other Oxygen‐Demanding Wastes in Niger Delta, Nigeria
Author(s) -
Osuji Leo C.,
Uwakwe Augustine A.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
chemistry and biodiversity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.427
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1612-1880
pISSN - 1612-1872
DOI - 10.1002/cbdv.200690073
Subject(s) - niger delta , effluent , delta , petroleum , environmental science , biochemical oxygen demand , waste management , petroleum industry , pulp and paper industry , environmental protection , chemical oxygen demand , environmental engineering , wastewater , chemistry , engineering , organic chemistry , aerospace engineering
In this article, we review the fundamental phenomenon of oxygenation within the overriding context of petroleum‐industry effluents and the other oxygen demanding wastes in Niger Delta, Nigeria. Drill cuttings, drilling mud (fluids used to stimulate the production processes), and accidental discharges of crude petroleum constitute serious land and water pollution in the oil‐bearing province. Effluents from other industrial establishments such as distilleries, pulp and paper mills, fertilizer plants, and breweries, as well as thermal effluents, plant nutrients (such as nitrates and phosphates), and eroded sediments have also contributed to the pollution of their surrounding environment. Since these wastes are oxygen‐demanding in nature, their impact on the recipient environment can be reversed by the direct application of simple chemistry. The wastes can be reduced, particularly in natural bodies of water, by direct oxidation–reduction processes or simple chemical combinations, acid–base reactions, and solubility equilibria; these are pH‐ and temperature‐dependent. A shift in pH and alkalinity affects the solubility equilibria of Na + , Cl − , SO 2− , NO $\rm{ _3^ - }$ , HCO $\rm{ _3^ - }$ , and PO $\rm{ _4^{3 - } }$ , and other ions and compounds.