Effect of OIL Exploration, Transportation & Use on Environment
Introduction:
What we know as oil is actually called petroleum or crude oil and may exist as a combination of liquid, gas, and sticky, tar-like substances. Oil and natural gas are cleaner fuels than coal, but they still have many environmental disadvantages.
The secret to fossil fuels’ ability to produce energy is that they contain a large amount of carbon. This carbon is left over from living matter — primarily plants — that lived millions of years ago. Oil and natural gas are usually the result of lots of biological matter that settles to the seafloor, where the hydrocarbons (molecules of hydrogen and carbon), including methane gas, become trapped in rocks.
Petroleum sources are usually small pockets of liquid or gas trapped within rock layers deep underground (often under the seafloor). Extracted crude oil is refined and used to manufacture gasoline (used in transportation) and petrochemicals (used in the production of plastics, pharmaceuticals, and cleaning products).
While some petroleum is found in gas form, the most common natural gas is methane. Methane usually occurs in small amounts with petroleum deposits and is often extracted at the same time as the petroleum. Natural gas can be found in certain rock layers, trapped in the tiny spaces in sedimentary rocks.
Crude oil contamination of the environment associated with exploration and production operations, it is a common feature in oil producing nations around the world, especially in a developing country. Which has significant contamination of the total environment (air, soil, water) and negatively impacted human health. The contamination occurs during all crude oil production and exploration processes and negatively affect the environment which in turn reflect risks to human health through food chain such as apparition of heavy metals; Lead, and Barium in hair, Mercury in Body. This review examines some the environmental effects related to crude oil exploration and production and its implications to human health.
The environmental impact of drilling for oil:
Oil companies pump liquid oil out of the ground by using drilling rigs and wells that access the pockets of oil resources. The oil fills the rock layers the way water fills a sponge — spreading throughout open spaces — instead of existing as a giant pool of liquid.
This arrangement means that to pump out all the oil, drillers have to extend or relocate the wells after the immediate area has been emptied. Oil drilling rigs set on platforms in the ocean to access oil reserves below the seafloor must therefore employ a series of more technically complex drill rigs built to access oil reserves in deeper water.
This figure illustrates some of the most commonly used ocean drilling rigs and platforms and the water depths they’re most suited for.
- Refining petroleum creates air pollution. Transforming crude oil into petrochemicals releases toxins into the atmosphere that are dangerous for human and ecosystem health.
- Burning gasoline releases CO2. Although oil doesn’t produce the same amount of CO2 that coal burning does, it still contributes greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and increases global warming.
- Oil spills cause great environmental damage. Large oil spills sometimes occur during drilling, transport, and use, which of course affect the surrounding environment. But these spills aren’t the only risk.
Although large oil spills with catastrophic environmental effects — such as the 1989 Exxon Valdez in Alaska or the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico — get the most media coverage, most of the oil spilled into ecosystems is actually from oil that leaks from cars, airplanes, and boats, as well as illegal dumping.
Transportation of Oil:
The environmental impact of transport is significant because transport is a major user of energy, and burns most of the world's petroleum. This creates air pollution, including nitrous oxides and particulates, and is a significant contributor to global warming through emission of carbon dioxide. Within the transport sector, road transport is the largest contributor to global warming.
Environmental regulations in developed countries have reduced the individual vehicle's emission. However, this has been offset by an increase in the number of vehicles, and increased use of each vehicle (an effect known as the Jevons paradox). Some pathways to reduce the carbon emissions of road vehicles have been considerably studied. Energy use and emissions vary largely between modes, causing environmentalists to call for a transition from air and road to rail and human-powered transport, and increase transport electrification and energy efficiency.
The transportation sector is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) in the World.
Other environmental impacts of transport systems include traffic congestion and automobile-oriented urban sprawl, which can consume natural habitat and agricultural lands. By reducing transportation emissions globally, it is predicted that there will be significant positive effects on Earth's air quality, acid rain, smog and climate change.
The health impact of transport emissions is also of concern.
As listed above direct impacts such as noise pollution and carbon monoxide emissions create direct and harmful effects on the environment, along with indirect impacts. The indirect impacts are often of higher consequence which leads to the misconception that it's the opposite since it is frequently understood that initial effects cause the most damage. For example, particulates which are the outcome of incomplete combustion done by an internal combustion engine, are not linked with respiratory and cardiovascular problems since they contribute to other factors not only to that specific condition. Even though the environmental impacts are usually listed individually there are also cumulative impacts. The synergetic consequences of transport activities. They take into account of the varied effects of direct and indirect impacts on an ecosystem. Climate change is the sum total impact of several natural and human-made factors. 15% of global CO2 emissions are attributed to the transport sector.
Oil is normally transported by one of four options:
Pipeline – the most commonly used form of oil transportation is through oil pipelines. Pipelines are typically used to move crude oil from the wellhead to gathering and processing facilities and from there to refineries and tanker loading facilities. Pipelines require significantly less energy to operate than trucks or rail and have a lower carbon footprint.
Rail – Oil shipment by train has become a growing phenomenon as new oil reserves are identified across the globe. The relatively small capital costs and construction period make rail transport an ideal alternative to pipelines for long-distance shipping. However speed, carbon emissions, and accidents are some significant drawbacks to rail transport.
Truck – while the most limited oil transportation method in terms of storage capacity, trucks have the greatest flexibility in potential destinations. Trucks are often the last step in the transport process, delivering oil and refined petroleum products to their intended storage destinations.
Ship – where oil transport over land is not suitable, oil can be transported by ship. A typical 30,000-barrel tank barge can carry the equivalent of 45 rail tank cars at about one-third the cost. Compared to a pipeline, barges are cheaper by 20-35%, depending on the route. Tank barges traditionally carry petrochemicals and natural gas feedstocks to chemical plants. The drawbacks are typically speeding and environmental concerns.
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 bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil.
Major oil spills include, Lakeview Gusher, Gulf War oil spill, and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Spilt oil penetrates into the structure of the plumage of birds and the fur of mammals, reducing its insulating ability, and making them more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and much less buoyant in the water. Clean-up and recovery from an oil spill is difficult and depends upon many factors, including the type of oil spilled, the temperature of the water (affecting evaporation and biodegradation), and the types of shorelines and beaches involved. Other factors influencing the rate of long-term contamination is the continuous inputs of petroleum residues and the rate at which the environment can clean itself Spills may take weeks, months or even years to clean up.
Use of Petroleum & Petroleum Product as fuel:
The burning of fossil fuels leads to release of harmful products into the environment. An increase in the consumption of fuel leads to harmful effects on the environment.
Following points will clearly depict these effects:
Carbon fuels such as Coal, Petroleum release unburnt carbon particles in the environment. These particles are very dangerous pollutants and cause respiratory diseases for example asthma.
When fuels are incompletely burnt, they release carbon monoxide gas into the atmosphere. This gas is very dangerous as it is poisonous in nature. If we burn coal in a closed room, then the person sleeping in that room will be killed by the action of carbon monoxide.
The combustion of fossil fuels also releases a large amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas which is responsible for global warming. Global warming is a rise in the overall temperature of earth’s surface. This leads to melting of polar caps and rise in the sea level and further results in flooding of coastal regions.
Burning of coal and diesel releases sulphur dioxide gas. This gas is extremely corrosive and suffocating in nature. Petrol gives off oxides of nitrogen. The oxides of sulphur and nitrogen get dissolved in rainwater and form acids. This is known as acid rain. This water is very harmful to plants, animals, and various monuments.
Burning of Petroleum also cause:
- Disappearing Arctic ice
- Melting glaciers
- Dying coral reefs.
- Longer periods of drought in some regions
- More frequent forest fires
- An increase in the number, duration and intensity of tropical storms
- The occurrence of more extreme weather events
- Rising sea levels, and
- Ecosystem changes
Land degradation:
Unearthing, processing, and moving underground oil, gas, and coal deposits take an enormous toll on our landscapes and ecosystems. The fossil fuel industry leases vast stretches of land for infrastructure such as wells, pipelines, access roads, as well as facilities for processing, waste storage, and waste disposal. In the case of strip mining, entire swaths of terrain—including forests and whole mountaintops—are scraped and blasted away to expose underground coal or oil. Even after operations cease, the nutrient-leached land will never return to what it once was.
As a result, critical wildlife habitat—land crucial for breeding and migration—ends up fragmented and destroyed. Even animals able to leave can end up suffering, as they’re often forced into less-than-ideal habitat and must compete with existing wildlife for resources.
Water pollution:
Coal, oil, and gas development pose myriad threats to our waterways and groundwater. Coal mining operations wash acid runoff into streams, rivers, and lakes and dump vast quantities of unwanted rock and soil into streams. Oil spills and leaks during extraction or transport can pollute drinking water sources and jeopardize entire freshwater or ocean ecosystems. Fracking and its toxic fluids have also been found to contaminate drinking water, a fact that the Environmental Protection Agency was slow to recognize.
Meanwhile, all drilling, fracking, and mining operations generate enormous volumes of wastewater, which can be laden with heavy metals, radioactive materials, and other pollutants. Industries store this waste in open-air pits or underground wells that can leak or overflow into waterways and contaminate aquifers with pollutants linked to cancer, birth defects, neurological damage, and much more.
Emissions:
Fossil fuels emit harmful air pollutants long before they’re burned. Indeed, some 12.6 million Americans are exposed daily to toxic air pollution from active oil and gas wells and from transport and processing facilities. These include benzene (linked to childhood leukaemia and blood disorders) and formaldehyde (a cancer-causing chemical). A booming fracking industry will bring that pollution to more backyards, despite mounting evidence of the practice’s serious health impacts. Mining operations are no better, especially for the miners themselves, generating toxic airborne particulate matter. Strip mining—particularly in places such as Canada’s boreal forest—can release giant carbon stores held naturally in the wild.
Burning Fossil Fuels:
Global warming pollution:
When we burn oil, coal, and gas, we don’t just meet our energy needs—we drive the current global warming crisis as well. Fossil fuels produce large quantities of carbon dioxide when burned. Carbon emissions trap heat in the atmosphere and lead to climate change. In the United States, the burning of fossil fuels, particularly for the power and transportation sectors, accounts for about three-quarters of our carbon emissions.
Other forms of air pollution:
Fossil fuels emit more than just carbon dioxide when burned. Coal-fired power plants singlehandedly generate 42 percent of dangerous mercury emissions in the United States, as well as two-thirds of U.S. sulphur dioxide emissions (which contribute to acid rain) and the vast majority of soot (particulate matter) in our air. Meanwhile, fossil fuel–powered cars, trucks, and boats are the main contributors of poisonous carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide, which produces smog (and respiratory illnesses) on hot days.
Ocean acidification:
When we burn oil, coal, and gas, we change the ocean’s basic chemistry, making it more acidic. Our seas absorb as much as a quarter of all man-made carbon emissions. Since the start of the Industrial Revolution (and our coal-burning ways), the ocean has become 30 percent more acidic. As the acidity in our waters goes up, the amount of calcium carbonate—a substance used by oysters, lobsters, and countless other marine organisms to form shells—goes down. This can slow growth rates, weaken shells, and imperil entire food chains.
Ocean acidification impacts coastal communities as well. In the Pacific Northwest, it’s estimated to have cost the oyster industry millions of dollars and thousands of jobs.
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