Battelle Evaluates Environmental Impacts of Oil Production

Oil is a vital commodity for every nation, fueling vehicles, warming homes, supporting entire economies, and driving infrastructure expansion, however, contamination released from operations and through oil spills can cause serious harm to the environment and affect human health. Researchers at the Battelle-operated U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) are working with Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the national oil company of Mexico, to identify contamination sources from offshore oil drilling operations in Mexico and evaluate their environmental impacts.

“For countries abundant in oil, such as Mexico, this precious commodity is vital to the nation’s economy,” said PNNL’s Dr. Charles Brandt. “PEMEX managers have realized that past exploration and production practices have taken an environmental toll that is no longer acceptable. Industry and government leaders recognize that lasting success for their oil-based economy requires identifying industry’s role in contributing to environmental problems and then changing its practices as necessary.”

PNNL staff is working with PEMEX in the first phase of a multi-phase effort to evaluate the environmental impacts to the Campeche Sound area from offshore drilling operations and the associated processing and storage practices that occur on shore. The suspect contamination sources stem from routine and accidental discharges and emissions from production activities.

“Large amounts of hydrogen sulfide are frequently flared, either at the source well or at a separations facility as part of routine processing,” said Brandt. “The burning produces sulfur oxides that interact with water in the humid tropical air to produce sulphuric acid, a highly corrosive component of acid rain that pollutes water supplies and decreases the life of equipment and facilities. It also can contribute to soil and crop damage.”

The emission of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is also a concern. These compounds are constituents of oil and combustion products that include highly potent carcinogens. PAHs that may be toxic to marine life are released in spills of crude oil, and PAHs that may be carcinogenic are released during flaring of gases and combustion of wastes.

PNNL is evaluating existing monitoring data and exploration and production process information to pinpoint and help eliminate possible environmental problems occurring as a result of oil operations.

“Next, we will apply unique clean chemistry, multimedia environmental transport and risk modeling, and GIS-based trend analyses to obtain greater detail and understanding on the levels of contamination and its effects in the water and on land,” said Brandt. “The data we collect from the Campeche Sound will be a remarkable scientific resource for PEMEX in the Gulf of Mexico and will contribute to our understanding the possible environmental effects from oil production activities elsewhere in the world where similar socioeconomic and environmental conditions exist.”

The offshore environmental analysis project is one of several projects being performed by the Mexican Alianza Initiative, a collaboration between the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the Metropolitan Autonomous University, the Mexican Petroleum Institute, and Battelle.

For more information, please contact Dr. Charles Brandt at (509) 376-5345, charles.brandt@pnl.gov.