Abstract
Global development of transportation dependent on internal combustion engines, involves major increases in the consumption of fossil fuels obtained by extracting crude oil from depths by means of wells and refining it. In this context, protection of environment and groundwater quality is an increasingly difficult objective to maintain, requiring modern methods to address possible negative effects on the environment. The current research assesses the degree of eco-toxicological and environmental risk for an oil exploitation area in case of an accidental pollution scenario with crude oil. The entire risk spectrum was analysed through a set of qualitative and quantitative risk assessment tools to highlight and quantify the most important effects caused by petroleum products on biotope and biocenoses. The primary aim of the research is to identify vulnerable environmental reservoirs for accidental oil pollution and to establish the best tools to quantify the environmental and ecotoxicological risk of groundwater contamination. The results obtained from the area showed a low to medium risk of contamination of the saturated and unsaturated area with crude oil expressed as TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbons) and a low risk of contamination with volatile organic compounds type BTEX associated contamination of biocenoses that can directly or indirectly interact with potentially polluted areas.
Highlights
Pollution of soils and groundwater with petroleum products or hydrocarbons from crude oil generates major effects on local flora and fauna and once discharged into soil, they enter the food chain and tend to bioaccumulate
The analysis shows that each xenobiotic, in correspondence with the Romanian legislation in force, results in a high level of risk for groundwater contamination with benzene and a low level of risk for ethyl-benzene, toluene and xylenes
The research carried out for the 3 scenarios in the crude oil exploitation field, resulting a low risk of bioaccumulation and transfer to ecosystems in case of accidental crude oil pollution and a low risk of groundwater contamination in case of accidental pollution by ethyl-benzene, toluene and xylene was assessed for all 3 scenarios
Summary
Pollution of soils and groundwater with petroleum products or hydrocarbons from crude oil generates major effects on local flora and fauna and once discharged into soil, they enter the food chain and tend to bioaccumulate. The mechanism of accumulation or bioaccumulation of pollutants in ecosystems of the aquatic environment as well as of ecosystems that interact discontinuously with it, is studied in relation to mechanisms and processes at the interface between ecosystem components [3] From this point of view, special attention must be paid to the interfaces: sediments - water, water - organisms and water - air. Evaluation of the ecotoxicological risk in the studied area, requires complex investigations directed towards soil, subsoil and groundwater These investigations may contain information on identifying and characterizing pollutants, determining their concentration in the environment, locating potentially affected areas and defining the distribution and dispersion gradient, determining possible sources and causes of pollution, characterizing the physic-chemical and hydrogeological conditions of the site, environmental vulnerability, etc
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