Applied Chemical Engineering

Assessment of water quality degradation caused by crude oil pipeline leakage into river and irrigation canal water in Southern Iraq

Iqbal Khalaf Erabee

Department of Petroleum and Gas Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Thi-Qar, Thi-Qar 64001, Iraq

Mustafa M. Mansour

Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Thi-Qar, Thi-Qar 64001, Iraq

Alaa M. Lafta

Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Thi-Qar, Thi-Qar 64001, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.59429/ace.v9i2.6039

Keywords: pipeline leakage; water quality; TDS; dissolved oxygen; oil pollution; Iraq

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Abstract

The current investigation investigates experimentally the water quality deterioration due to leakage of crude oil pipelines into river water and irrigation canal water in the southern of Iraq. The study includes documenting the sample water quality caught from the oil polluted area and also to analyze the Water samples in the laboratory by using the most standard value laboratory methods as these: dissolved oxygen (DO), iron, chlorides, total suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved solids (TDS), pH, and oil-in-water (O/W), the oil concentrations in water samples (O/W) were very high and ranged from 123-167 mg/L. and all were imported. The pH was reported between 6.50-6.80, indicating weakly acidic solutions. Salinity was very high, TDS was between 85 000 and 98 730 mg/L, and chloride amounts up to 52 960 mg/L. Dissolved oxygen was strongly reduced by increasing concentrations of oil, showing the reduction of oxygen transfer by oil films. The study shows a negative correlation between the concentration of oil and dissolved oxygen and positive linear relationship with the concentration of oil with toxicity. This result shows how an oil spill causes each kind of pollution oil hydrocarbon salinity, and suspended solids to severely threaten aquatic environment and ecosystem. This implies calling for, the need for enhanced treatment systems, government over sight, and control of the discharge of oil into water thereby not diminishing the plans for further exploration of the available oil reserves in Iraq.

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