Landfill site selection for solid drilling wastes (case study: Marun oil field, southwest Iran)

Abstract

It is important to manage the oil wastes due to their chemical composition and the risks to human life. When the inappropriate management of such wastes causes environmental pollution and threatens all life, the importance of this issue becomes apparent. Landfill sites, in accordance with environmental laws, are among the management methods of oil wastes. The current study aimed to evaluate landfill site selection for solid drilling waste of Marun oilfield. An area with a 30 km radius was identified in the center of Marun oilfield for site selection based on environmental conditions and economic parameters. Effective parameters in the site selection process were determined and collected; then, the database of the collected data was prepared using GIS software. To implement the ordered weighted average method for site selection, the effective parameters as information layers were standardized using fuzzy logic and the relative weight of each of them was determined using the analytical hierarchy process. The limitations of each parameters were standardized using Boolean logic. Based on the sequential weights that calculated using the ordered weighted average method, seven scenarios were defined for determining the appropriate sites. Each scenario was classified into five classes of absolutely unsuitable, unsuitable, medium suitable, suitable, and absolutely suitable. Based on the characteristics of the oil wastes, the sites with absolutely suitable class in scenarios 6 and 7 were selected as proposed sites that include 6 sites and covers 3% of the total area of the studied range. The selected sites were prioritized using the ELECTRE method. The results showed that sites that are more suitable in terms of economic parameters, lithology features, and land use are given the highest priority.