Petroleum water pollution from

Hydrosphere The potential exists for water pollution from acid mine water, petroleum production by-product brines, acid precipitation, and heating of water used to cool power plants. 

The other source of water pollution is toxic chemicals, of which the chemical and petroleum industries are a major source. The oil spiU from the Exxon Valdez in Alaska and the methyl isocyanate release from Bhopal, India, are the most widely known examples. Here the overall problem is that chemicals are released that are not normally found in nature, and consequently plants and animals have no defenses against them. 

From 2 to 10 million tons of petroleum is released annually into the world s ocean. One liter of petroleum deprives about 40 thousand liters of sea water of the oxygen that is used to sustain living inhabitants such as fish. Also, one ton of petroleum can pollute about 12 km2 surface of the ocean. 

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. 

Kalvoda has reviewed different electrochemical methods suppression of polarographic maxima, eletrocapillary measurements, Kalousek commutator technique, differential pulse polarography and tensammetric methods for the determination of oily substances in various types of waters. These compounds are neither reducible nor oxidizable but are surface active. The study of oil fractions has shown that the Kalousek technique responds only to higher levels of dissolved petroleum fractions (0.02 to 100 mg/1) found only in pollution sources such as harbors and refinery effluents.Recent results indicate that the water pollution with petroleum can be determined by differential pulse tensammetry. Good calibration graphs were obtained with Diesel oil at a concentration from 30-50 /xg to 0.5 mg/1 and with Saratov petroleum from 0.1-0.2 to 3.3 mg/1. ... 

The Clean Water Act requires national performance standards for major industries (such as iron and steel manufacturing and petroleum refining) that provide a minimum level of pollution control based on the best technologies available. These national standards result in the removal of over a billion pounds of toxic pollution from our waters every year. 

U.S. EPA has shown that 90% of process water can be recycled to the front end of the system for slurry preparation, and the rest must be treated on site or transported to an off-site facility.80 During the aerobic process, some contaminated air may be formed and emitted from the reactor. Depending on the air characteristics, a compatible air pollution control device may be used, such as activated carbon. Slurry biodegradation has been shown to be successful in treating soils contaminated with soluble organics, PAHs, and petroleum waste. The process has been most effective with contaminant concentrations ranging from 2500 mg/kg to 250,000 mg/kg. 

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