Petroleum hydrocarbon input

Accumulation of point sources from land use of petroleum products also can affect surface waters. For example, urban riverine inputs of volatile hydrocarbons to the marine environment have been studied in the coastal waters of Spain by Gomez-Belinchon et al. (1991). Volatile petroleum hydrocarbon inputs from two rivers were found to account for a mass flux of 47tyr and 96tyr of alkylbenzenes and 38tyr and 66 tyr of w-alkanes each. Although this was a significant mass flux, the... 

Table I. Estimates for Petroleum Hydrocarbon Input to the Oceans (from Ref. 1)...

In addition to large oil spills, petroleum hydrocarbons are released into the aquatic environments from natural seeps as well as non-point-source urban runoffs. Acute impacts from massive one-time spills are obvious and substantial. The impacts from small spills and chronic releases are the subject of much speculation and continued research. Clearly, these inputs of petroleum hydrocarbons have the potential for significant environmental impacts, but the effects of chronic low-level discharges can be minimized by the net assimilative capacities of many ecosystems, resulting in little detectable environmental harm. 

Another complication with total petroleum hydrocarbons values is that petroleum-derived inputs vary considerably in composition it is essential to bear this in mind when quantifying them in general terms such as an oil or the total petroleum hydrocarbons measurement. Petroleum is complex, containing many thousands of compounds, ranging from gases to residues boiling at about 400°C. 

Significant petrobum hydrocarbon Inputs Into the oceans related to consumptbn of petroleum include river and urban runoff, oil spills from cargo ships, operational discharges from commercial vessels and recreational craft, and atmospheric deposition of petrobum hydrocarbons. 

Various workers have assembled relatively complete assessments of the annual input of the major biological nutrients (C, N, P), certain heavy metals (Mn, Cd, Pb, Cu), and petroleum hydrocarbons to Narragansett Bay. Other studies have developed inventories of the amounts of these materials in the sediments of the Bay. We have brought these data together with information on sediment accumulation rates in the Bay to determine the degree to which this one estuary serves as a sink for different types of materials in their passage between land and the coastal ocean. 

It appears that Narragansett Bay retains less than 5 % of the nutrients, less than 10 % of the Mn, and perhaps 15-30 % of the Cd that is input to the system each year. The removal of Cu (70-95 %) and Pb (80-100 %) is much more effective. Somewhere between 25-65 % of the petroleum hydrocarbons entering the Bay remain in the sediments. These estimates are in agreement with the behavior of the different materials in sediment-water flux measurements and in experiments using the large MERL mesocosms. 

In this paper we have brought together much of the information that is presently available on certain pollutants in Narragansett Bay (Rhode Island, U.S.A.) in an attempt to develop annual mass balances for carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus as well as some heavy metals (Mn, Cd, Pb, Cu) and petroleum hydrocarbons under conditions of recent input. We cannot pretend complete knowledge of the quantities or behavior of any of these substances in the Bay, but they have all been subjected to considerable study and it seemed that it would be interesting and instructive to compare the effectiveness of this one system as a trap for a variety of different materials. 

Estimates of recent inputs to Narragansett Bay (RI, USA), accumulation rates within the sediments of the Bay, and losses from the Bay to the atmosphere and offshore waters for major nutrients, various heavy metals, and total petroleum hydrocarbons. 

Relative efficiency (expressed as a % of the total terrestrial, anthropogenic, and atmospheric input) with which Narragansett Bay (RI, USA) removes and transmits various nutrients, heavy metals, and petroleum hydrocarbons. See Table 1 for data sources. 

Van VIeet, E. S. and Quinn, J. G. (1977). Input and fate of petroleum hydrocarbons entering the Providence River and Upper Narragansett Bay from wastewater effluents. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11, 1086-1092. 

Characterization of petroleum contamination from certain land use activities and frcxn biogenic sources has provided information for assessing impact from continued coastal development activities and to assess the duration and extent of impact in the event of a major oil spill in the areas studied. However, time series samples are needed to establish rates of hydrocarbon input and degradation. 

The contribution of oil and other organic substances from marine associated facilities and vessels is more related to spill events, either accidental or Intentional, rather than regular, long term input. Data reviewed to date indicate that specific areas are impacted by oils and other petroleum hydrocarbons. 

Table II. Estimated Inputs of Petroleum Hydrocarbons in the Ocean During the Early 1980sa...

The results of Experiment 3 are shown in Table IV. This experiment compared the ability of different methods (III and V) to extract recently added petroleum hydrocarbons from marine sediment. The more vigorous extraction (Method V) increased the yield, but the additional material returned was unresolved. It appeared that the extractions were equally effective in returning the resolved hydrocarbons. In the unresolved portions of chromatograms, it was not possible to differentiate between recently added hydrocarbons and those from long-term inputs. This differentiation may be important for determining the extent of contamination from oil spills where extensive areas are impacted and control or prespill sediment samples (to determine background hydrocarbon levels) are not available. 

Most of the increases in microbial populations were associated with chronic inputs of petroleum hydrocarbons. Petroleum hydrocarbons can limit the growth of bacteria in sediment and water in non-oil contaminated estuarine ecosystems, and may also result in selective decreases in algal and protozoan populations. Not all microbial populations increase or decrease in response to the addition of petroleum hydrocarbons some microorganisms show a neutral response to certain hydrocarbons, and, in these cases, population size of these organisms remains unchanged. 

The recovery, processing, and transport of petroleum hydrocarbons have also resulted in spillage or pollution in both freshwater and coastal wetlands. Although much attention to oil pollution in wetlands has been associated with major spills, chronic continuing input from munici-pal/industrial sources and storm water runoff from urban areas are also sources of petroleum hydrocarbons and other toxic organics to drainage and watersheds that ultimately empty into wetlands. 

Table 7.2. Estimated inputs of petroleum hydrocarbons in the world s oceans and coastal water of the UK during the early 1980s.

Solubilizing activity are also used in enhanced oil recovery. Tar and extremely viscous hydrocarbons are recovered by the injection of an aqueous solution of an anionic orthophosphate ester surfactant into a petroleum formation, retaining the surfactant in the formation for about 24 h, and displacing the solubilized hydrocarbons toward a recovery well. The surfactant forms an oil microemulsion with the hydrocarbons in the formation. An anionic monoorthophosphate ester surfactant which is a free acid of an organic phosphate ester was dissolved in water. The input of surfactant solution was 2-25% of the pore volume of the formation [250]. To produce a concentrate for the manufacture... 

Aliphatic hydrocarbons, a diverse suite of compounds, are an important lipid fraction which is either natural (i. e., from photosynthesis by marine biota inhabiting the surface waters or by terrestrial vascular plants) or anthropogenic (i. e., of petroleum origin from land runoff, and/or industrial inputs). Aliphatic hydrocarbons have been studied and characterized from various environmental multimedia [1,53-56,99-109]. 

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