Question

write and essay “ environmental issues in petroleum refinary engineering”. At least 1000 words

Answer 1

Petroleum refineries pose many environmental problems related to air,water and land.This poses a threat of new diseases,growth altering dysfunctions, and other man made disasters.These issues can be classified in to categories of the medium these refineries are polluting.

1. Air Pollution:

The major pollutants released into air by these refineries are benzene,toulene,ethylbenzene,xylene. Apart from these many other chemicals which in turn react with the atmospheric compounds and create disasters like particulate matter,nitrogen oxides,sulphur oxides,hydrogen sulphide are also released.Harmful hydrocarbons like natural gas,light volatile fuels and oils are also released in to atmosphere which also contributes to the formation of deadly gas ozone.Most of these chemicals are carcinogenic in nature and causing growth development mutations, reproductive problems etc.

These pollutants are released in to air by various means.They may be released due to equipment leaks,high combustion processes and through transfer processes.

2. Water Pollution:

These refineries pose contamination not only to the surface water but also to the ground water table.Some refineries often use deep injection of waster water in to the ground to dispose it.These practices lead to contamination of aquifers.The waste water generated from the refineries contain many harmful contaminants and residue of oils. When these are released into water bodies,they affect the aquatic life considerably.

3. Land Pollution:

Land pollution is not much significant when compared to the water and air pollution by refineries. Many species of natural bacteria is known to digest the sludge in the landfills.But due to leakage in the landfills and leachate, the water bodies may get affected.

Many environmental regulations are drafted and are put in force to contain the problems caused by the refineries. Some of them are Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, the Safe drinking Water Act etc. But to address the environmental issues not only regulations are made to follow but also more sustainable methods and more safe processes of reining should be put forward.