15 - Environmental effects of dust release from oil, gas, and petrochemical units

Abstract

The petroleum industry which comprises oil, gas, and petrochemical units is one of the largest industries in the world and its operations spread across almost every region of the world. The petroleum industry is involved with various activities such as exploration, drilling, mining of crude oil, refining, transportation, storage of crude, and refining of crude oil into various end products. A typical petroleum industry can emit chains of effluents in significant concentrations into the environment, comprising dust particles, inorganic acidic trace gases, and several types of trace metals. The dust particles released from oil, gas, and petrochemical units are closely connected with environmental degradation. Dust particles, often referred to as particulate matter (PM), in the air are solid or liquid state microscopic particles up in the air. Like health effects, the ecological impact of dust particles is also vitally important. Understanding the global situation and trends of waste emission around different petrochemical plants worldwide can offer a comprehensive knowledge of the contaminants that are being recognized in the atmosphere around these causes and the methods by which they can affect air standards. The atmospheric air standards should be managed systematically as emissions increased dramatically and subsequently the air quality deteriorated significantly due to escalated energy demands, industrialization, and overpopulation. Furthermore, it is of utmost importance to launch and strictly implement environmental protocols in the petroleum industry for governing air pollution to safeguard vegetation and wildlife as well as human beings.