Risk Indicators for Agricultural Use in Oil-Contaminated Soils

Abstract

Oil activities have mainly affected the tropical zones of developing countries, and these effects have been difficult to measure due to the lack of in-situ monitoring indicators in agricultural areas. We determined the physical and chemical properties of soils sampled from four villages situated on the floodplain of the Tonalá River in Tabasco, Mexico, and we analyzed the productive characteristics and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content in each site. The aim was to assess the potential risks affecting agricultural use in areas with or without oil wells. Three indicators were developed: the productive diversity index (PDIx), the productive rate risk index (PRx), and the efficient land use index (ELUIx) for farming systems (crop plants [p] and animal rearing [a]). Results indicate that the main limiting factors for farming are the flooding characteristics of Gleysols, high salinity, and contamination by hydrocarbons, and that these were related to higher values of PRa,p, which were recorded from zones with elevated density of oil facilities. High PDIa,p and ELUIa,p values were found in zones without oil facilities that had a greater production of crops and pastures and lower associated risk factors that are related to the presence of oil wells or soil contamination by TPH, but also to related secondary effects. These results allowed a comparison of potential risk assessment in areas with similar ecosystems, differentiating the diversity and the efficiency of productive land use related to polluted zones.Palabras clave: hidrocarburo intemperizado, suelo contaminado, uso de la tierra agrícola. D. Vázquez-Luna et al. 814 RESUMENLas actividades petroleras han afectado principalmente las zonas tropicales en países en desarrollo, efectos que ha sido difícil medir debido a la falta de indicadores de monitoreo in-situ en áreas agrícolas. Se determinaron las propiedades físicas y químicas de los suelos de cuatro comunidades situadas en la llanura aluvial del río Tonalá en Tabasco, México, y se analizaron las características productivas y el contenido total de hidrocarburos de petróleo (HTP) en cada sitio. El objetivo fue evaluar los riesgos potenciales para el uso agrícola en áreas con o sin pozos petroleros. Se desarrollaron tres indicadores: el índice de diversidad productiva (IDPx), el índice de riesgo productivo (RPx) y el índice de uso eficiente del suelo (IUESx) para los sistemas agrícolas (plantas de cultivo [p] y cría de animales [a]). Los resultados indicaron que los principales factores limitantes para la agricultura son las características de inundación de los Gleysoles, la alta salinidad y la contaminación por hidrocarburos. Éstos fueron correlacionados con valores más altos de RPa,p y con altas densidades de instalaciones petroleras. Se encontraron valores altos de IDPa,p y IUESa,p en zonas sin instalaciones petroleras, debido a que tenían mayor producción de cultivos y pasturas, y menores factores de riesgo asociados con la presencia de pozos petroleros o con la contaminación del suelo por HTP. Estos r...

Proposal of Construction Method of Smart Liner to Block and Detect Spreading of Soil Contaminants by Oil Spill

“…The representative factor negatively affecting soil contamination is oil, which reduces the sustainability of the soil due to its strong toxic effect [6]. That is, it not only negatively affects the ecosystem, but also changes the overall environment [7].…”