Presence, movement, and fate of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in wastes from the production of natural gas

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6913192

Davani, B

Large volumes of liquid and solid wastes are generated during all aspects of natural gas development and are discharged, usually with limited or no treatment, into earthen waste pits or disposed through reinjection in wells. The overall objectives of this thesis were (1) preparation of a comprehensive measure of generation, environmental release, and fate of organic and hazardous organic compounds form natural gas production, processing, and distribution, (2) evaluation of the complexity, abundance, and composition of hazardous organic compounds in natural gas and in wastes generated throughout the natural gas operations, and (3) documentation of the environmental presence of large hydrocarbons including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from earthen waste disposal pits for natural gas production. Natural gas and residues on inner-walls of natural gas pipelines were analyzed and were comprised of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons including PAH with carbon numbers from 9 to 40 at concentration levels of 0.1 to 10 ppm. In addition, samples of liquid contents and soils from natural gas production including brine water, dehydrator, pipeline drip pits, and discharge water from hydrostatic testing were collected and characterized for hazardous organic compounds. At all sites for waste generation, aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons with carbon number from 10 to 30+ were detected as complex mixtures and were resolved using capillary GC and GC/MS techniques. Hydrocarbons and PAH were found in surface soil at up to depth of 3 meters and in soil at ground water level at distances of 25 m from unlined earthen waste pits.

• Research Organization: New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6913192
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
030800* -- Natural Gas-- Environmental Aspects
510200 -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
520200 -- Environment
Aquatic-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AROMATICS
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY SYSTEMS
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUEL GAS
FUELS
GAS FUELS
GASES
GROUND DISPOSAL
GROUND WATER
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INDUSTRIAL PLANTS
LIQUID WASTES
MANAGEMENT
NATURAL GAS
NATURAL GAS DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
NATURAL GAS PROCESSING PLANTS
NATURAL GAS WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS
SOILS
SOLID WASTES
UNDERGROUND DISPOSAL
WASTE DISPOSAL
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTES
WATER
WELLS