ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Assessing Heavy Metal Contamination in Oil
and Gas Well Drilling Waste and Soil
in Pakistan
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1
College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan
2
Soil and Environmental Biotechnology Division, National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE), Faisalabad, Pakistan
Submission date: 2017-09-23
Final revision date: 2018-02-10
Acceptance date: 2018-02-13
Online publication date: 2018-09-10
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Corresponding author
Muhammad Sameem Hussain Qaiser
College of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of the Punjab, Lahore-54000, Pakistan., University of the Punjab, 54000 Lahore, Pakistan
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2019;28(2):785-793
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ABSTRACT
The contamination of soil and water with heavy metals is one of the major environmental problems
in the world. Oil and gas exploration and production activities contaminate the environment with heavy
metals. In this study, heavy metal concentration was assessed in drilling waste discharges of different oil
and gas wells at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Moreover, the concentration of heavy metals in the
soil surrounding the drilling waste discharges was determined. The representative samples were collected
from seven oil and gas drilling waste discharges and the surrounding soil. The collected samples were
analyzed for selected heavy metals (Ba, Pb Cr, Cd, Zn, Mn, and Ni) by atomic absorption spectrometric
standard methods. Analysis showed that oil and gas well drilling operation waste is enriched with
determined heavy metals. The high concentration of heavy metals, particularly Ba and Pb, was also found
in the surrounding soil samples. In particular, Ba concentration varied from 1050 to 4168 mg/kg soil.
Statistical correlational analysis depicted a common origin of the heavy metals in the soil of the study area,
potentially the drilling waste discharges from oil and gas wells. The concentration of heavy metals in oil
and gas well drilling waste discharge high, and also affects surrounding soils.