Environmental Assessment of Oil-Based Mud Impacts on Soil and Water in Eruemokohwarien, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This research determined the environmental impacts of contained OBM on the soil and water quality at the drilling area and the environment in and around the drilling area. Field samples from the affected and control sites were analyzed using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS) to assay heavy metals, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) to analyze hydrocarbons. Findings bequeathed excellent indications of environmental degradation: Both total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the soil and the water were above the WHO and NESREA standards; heavy metals/ Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Zn / were highly enclosed in the drilling regions in contrast to the controls regions; the soil was hydrophobic, low microbial functioning and low fertility; turbidity, oil coats and contaminants in the water samples were high. High correlations exist between soil and water contaminants, indicating the movement of contaminants through the environmental media. The research concludes that the OBM containment systems in Eruemokohwarien are not very efficient and pose a danger to the environment. It suggests the strict implementation of the EGASPIN standards, the adoption of modern remediation technologies, such as thermal desorption and cuttings reinjection, and the implementation of environmental monitoring, including community participation, to ensure sustainable drilling operations and ecological restoration.