Assessing the impacts of petrochemical industrial facilities on groundwater in Zubair district

Abstract

This study aims to explore the environmental impacts of the solid and liquid wastes of the Petrochemical Industries Complex in the Al-Zubair district (southern Iraq) on the groundwater in the areas surrounding the complex. The waste emerging from the industrial complex is buried in the soil near the factories which has become a major threat to the groundwater of the area. The objectives of the study were to determine the environmental impact of the petrochemical complex and the level of damage caused to neighboring areas as well as to identify the wells most affected by pollution. Field surveys of wells and pollutant disposal sites were conducted in the study area and spatial analysis using the ArcGIS program was used. The results revealed the wells affected by pollution, the type of released pollutants, the extent of their spread and concentration, as well as the factories that produce the most significant percentage of contaminants. Interpretation of spatial information by GIS revealed that liquid chlorine, industrial salts, and ethylene, respectively, had the highest concentrations as pollutants for soil and groundwater, and don't comply with environmental standards. The study also revealed that the chlorine factory, soda, low-density polyethylene granules, and PVC factory are the most polluting factories in the surrounding environment. HIGHLIGHTS The solid and liquid wastes of the petrochemical industries have an environmental impact on the wells’ groundwater.; Burying waste in the soil leads to contaminants reaching groundwater and wells.; Spatial analysis of field data in the ArcGIS reveals the wells affected by pollution, the type of pollutants emitted, their spread and concentration.; Exceeding the environmental standards of factories pollutes the surrounding environment.;

Keywords

• factory contaminants
• groundwater pollution
• spatial analysis
• well pollution
• zubair petrochemical complex