Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters

Danilo López-Hernández; Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres; Fernando Liendo; Juan Urich; Carmen Hernández

doi:doi:10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

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Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters

Danilo López-Hernández, Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres, Fernando Liendo, Juan Urich, Carmen Hernández

Published in Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering (Volume 5, Issue 2)

Received: 2 September 2021 Accepted: 17 September 2021 Published: 5 November 2021

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Abstract

In the eastern Venezuelan Llanos, the drilling fluids composed of wastewater (WW), accompanying hydrocarbons and wastes from oil activity are deposited in a system of waterproofed pits. Later, by means of siphons, the hydrocarbon phase of the WW is separated. WW are typically very salty and contain suspended and dissolved solids, residual hydrocarbons, and chemicals used in hydrocarbon extraction. So they are transported to a pit and treated with a flocculating agent and lime. Once carried out, the flocculation-coagulation operation and pH correction, WW are released to the environment. The savannas where the treated water are irrigated, in addition to the oil operation, present an intense agricultural and livestock activity, and rest on aquifers that are partially replenished with the percolation waters near the treatment pits. Therefore, this research will aim to analyze: i) the levels of soluble salts and heavy metals in the percolation waters collected in lysimeters located in savanna soils adjacent to oil wells after irrigation with WW treated with flocculating agents, and ii) the estimation of time which these salts take to be dislodged from the soil. The waters from the lysimeters did not report high levels of soluble aluminum or heavy metals since their soluble forms were precipitated by liming. Likewise, the coagulation-flocculation process removed the high levels of barium from the untreated WW. The contributions of sodium and calcium from the WW have a liming effect on the acidity of these soils. The sodium levels contributed by the WW could represent an environmental risk, fortunately, the good internal drainage of these sandy Ultisols allows their removal. Studies with lysimeters showed that the percolation waters of areas irrigated with flocculated water have a similar sodium content to that of control lysimeters six months after treatment.

Published in	Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering (Volume 5, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
Page(s)	62-68
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Sodium, Barium, Aluminum, Contamination, Savannah

References

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APA Style

Danilo López-Hernández, Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres, Fernando Liendo, Juan Urich, Carmen Hernández. (2021). Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters. Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 5(2), 62-68. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

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ACS Style

Danilo López-Hernández; Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres; Fernando Liendo; Juan Urich; Carmen Hernández. Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters. J. Chem. Environ. Biol. Eng. 2021, 5(2), 62-68. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

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AMA Style

Danilo López-Hernández, Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres, Fernando Liendo, Juan Urich, Carmen Hernández. Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters. J Chem Environ Biol Eng. 2021;5(2):62-68. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

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@article{10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14,
  author = {Danilo López-Hernández and Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres and Fernando Liendo and Juan Urich and Carmen Hernández},
  title = {Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters},
  journal = {Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {62-68},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jcebe.20210502.14},
  abstract = {In the eastern Venezuelan Llanos, the drilling fluids composed of wastewater (WW), accompanying hydrocarbons and wastes from oil activity are deposited in a system of waterproofed pits. Later, by means of siphons, the hydrocarbon phase of the WW is separated. WW are typically very salty and contain suspended and dissolved solids, residual hydrocarbons, and chemicals used in hydrocarbon extraction. So they are transported to a pit and treated with a flocculating agent and lime. Once carried out, the flocculation-coagulation operation and pH correction, WW are released to the environment. The savannas where the treated water are irrigated, in addition to the oil operation, present an intense agricultural and livestock activity, and rest on aquifers that are partially replenished with the percolation waters near the treatment pits. Therefore, this research will aim to analyze: i) the levels of soluble salts and heavy metals in the percolation waters collected in lysimeters located in savanna soils adjacent to oil wells after irrigation with WW treated with flocculating agents, and ii) the estimation of time which these salts take to be dislodged from the soil. The waters from the lysimeters did not report high levels of soluble aluminum or heavy metals since their soluble forms were precipitated by liming. Likewise, the coagulation-flocculation process removed the high levels of barium from the untreated WW. The contributions of sodium and calcium from the WW have a liming effect on the acidity of these soils. The sodium levels contributed by the WW could represent an environmental risk, fortunately, the good internal drainage of these sandy Ultisols allows their removal. Studies with lysimeters showed that the percolation waters of areas irrigated with flocculated water have a similar sodium content to that of control lysimeters six months after treatment.},
 year = {2021}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters
AU  - Danilo López-Hernández
AU  - Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres
AU  - Fernando Liendo
AU  - Juan Urich
AU  - Carmen Hernández
Y1  - 2021/11/05
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
T2  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JF  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JO  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
SP  - 62
EP  - 68
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-267X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
AB  - In the eastern Venezuelan Llanos, the drilling fluids composed of wastewater (WW), accompanying hydrocarbons and wastes from oil activity are deposited in a system of waterproofed pits. Later, by means of siphons, the hydrocarbon phase of the WW is separated. WW are typically very salty and contain suspended and dissolved solids, residual hydrocarbons, and chemicals used in hydrocarbon extraction. So they are transported to a pit and treated with a flocculating agent and lime. Once carried out, the flocculation-coagulation operation and pH correction, WW are released to the environment. The savannas where the treated water are irrigated, in addition to the oil operation, present an intense agricultural and livestock activity, and rest on aquifers that are partially replenished with the percolation waters near the treatment pits. Therefore, this research will aim to analyze: i) the levels of soluble salts and heavy metals in the percolation waters collected in lysimeters located in savanna soils adjacent to oil wells after irrigation with WW treated with flocculating agents, and ii) the estimation of time which these salts take to be dislodged from the soil. The waters from the lysimeters did not report high levels of soluble aluminum or heavy metals since their soluble forms were precipitated by liming. Likewise, the coagulation-flocculation process removed the high levels of barium from the untreated WW. The contributions of sodium and calcium from the WW have a liming effect on the acidity of these soils. The sodium levels contributed by the WW could represent an environmental risk, fortunately, the good internal drainage of these sandy Ultisols allows their removal. Studies with lysimeters showed that the percolation waters of areas irrigated with flocculated water have a similar sodium content to that of control lysimeters six months after treatment.
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Danilo López-Hernández

Center for Applied Ecology, Institute of Zoology and Tropical Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres

Graduate Deanship National Experimental University of the Western Plains, Guanare, Venezuela
Fernando Liendo

Venezuelan Institute of Technology for Petroleum, Caracas, Venezuela
Juan Urich

Graduate Course in Ecology, Faculty of Sciences, Central University of Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela
Carmen Hernández

Environmental Engineering, National Experimental University Marítima del Caribe, Catia la Mar, Venezuela

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Danilo López-Hernández, Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres, Fernando Liendo, Juan Urich, Carmen Hernández. (2021). Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters. Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 5(2), 62-68. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

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ACS Style

Danilo López-Hernández; Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres; Fernando Liendo; Juan Urich; Carmen Hernández. Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters. J. Chem. Environ. Biol. Eng. 2021, 5(2), 62-68. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

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AMA Style

Danilo López-Hernández, Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres, Fernando Liendo, Juan Urich, Carmen Hernández. Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters. J Chem Environ Biol Eng. 2021;5(2):62-68. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14,
  author = {Danilo López-Hernández and Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres and Fernando Liendo and Juan Urich and Carmen Hernández},
  title = {Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters},
  journal = {Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering},
  volume = {5},
  number = {2},
  pages = {62-68},
  doi = {10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jcebe.20210502.14},
  abstract = {In the eastern Venezuelan Llanos, the drilling fluids composed of wastewater (WW), accompanying hydrocarbons and wastes from oil activity are deposited in a system of waterproofed pits. Later, by means of siphons, the hydrocarbon phase of the WW is separated. WW are typically very salty and contain suspended and dissolved solids, residual hydrocarbons, and chemicals used in hydrocarbon extraction. So they are transported to a pit and treated with a flocculating agent and lime. Once carried out, the flocculation-coagulation operation and pH correction, WW are released to the environment. The savannas where the treated water are irrigated, in addition to the oil operation, present an intense agricultural and livestock activity, and rest on aquifers that are partially replenished with the percolation waters near the treatment pits. Therefore, this research will aim to analyze: i) the levels of soluble salts and heavy metals in the percolation waters collected in lysimeters located in savanna soils adjacent to oil wells after irrigation with WW treated with flocculating agents, and ii) the estimation of time which these salts take to be dislodged from the soil. The waters from the lysimeters did not report high levels of soluble aluminum or heavy metals since their soluble forms were precipitated by liming. Likewise, the coagulation-flocculation process removed the high levels of barium from the untreated WW. The contributions of sodium and calcium from the WW have a liming effect on the acidity of these soils. The sodium levels contributed by the WW could represent an environmental risk, fortunately, the good internal drainage of these sandy Ultisols allows their removal. Studies with lysimeters showed that the percolation waters of areas irrigated with flocculated water have a similar sodium content to that of control lysimeters six months after treatment.},
 year = {2021}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Disposition of Wastewater from Oil Wells in Venezuelan Savannahs and Their Effects on Percolation Waters
AU  - Danilo López-Hernández
AU  - Oswaldo Vallejo-Torres
AU  - Fernando Liendo
AU  - Juan Urich
AU  - Carmen Hernández
Y1  - 2021/11/05
PY  - 2021
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
DO  - 10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
T2  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JF  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
JO  - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering
SP  - 62
EP  - 68
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-267X
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20210502.14
AB  - In the eastern Venezuelan Llanos, the drilling fluids composed of wastewater (WW), accompanying hydrocarbons and wastes from oil activity are deposited in a system of waterproofed pits. Later, by means of siphons, the hydrocarbon phase of the WW is separated. WW are typically very salty and contain suspended and dissolved solids, residual hydrocarbons, and chemicals used in hydrocarbon extraction. So they are transported to a pit and treated with a flocculating agent and lime. Once carried out, the flocculation-coagulation operation and pH correction, WW are released to the environment. The savannas where the treated water are irrigated, in addition to the oil operation, present an intense agricultural and livestock activity, and rest on aquifers that are partially replenished with the percolation waters near the treatment pits. Therefore, this research will aim to analyze: i) the levels of soluble salts and heavy metals in the percolation waters collected in lysimeters located in savanna soils adjacent to oil wells after irrigation with WW treated with flocculating agents, and ii) the estimation of time which these salts take to be dislodged from the soil. The waters from the lysimeters did not report high levels of soluble aluminum or heavy metals since their soluble forms were precipitated by liming. Likewise, the coagulation-flocculation process removed the high levels of barium from the untreated WW. The contributions of sodium and calcium from the WW have a liming effect on the acidity of these soils. The sodium levels contributed by the WW could represent an environmental risk, fortunately, the good internal drainage of these sandy Ultisols allows their removal. Studies with lysimeters showed that the percolation waters of areas irrigated with flocculated water have a similar sodium content to that of control lysimeters six months after treatment.
VL  - 5
IS  - 2
ER  -

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