The regulatory effluent oil limit which is the allowable quantity of hydrocarbons in industrial and stormwater effluents varies from one country to another. Several authors have suggested the need to improve the design methods of conventional oil–water separators because current design methods do not address the quality of effluents produced despite the fact that the conventional oil-water separator is the predominant wastewater treatment facility in developing countries. Regulatory effluent oil limit and oil separation efficiency are not design parameters of the current standard design methods for conventional oil-water separators but there is pressure from environmental regulatory agencies on companies over compliance with regulatory effluent oil limit for industrial wastewaters. This research work conducted a survey on the oil content of the wastewater effluents of some functional conventional oil-water separators in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Sequel to the outcome of the survey, this work invented novel design methods for conventional oil-water separators titled: novel design approach, innovative design approach and alternative design approach through mathematical modeling. The novel design methods apply the concept of design volume, novel sizing data and novel mathematical models to design conventional oil-water separators that conform to American Petroleum Institute (API) design criteria for conventional oil-water separators; taking into account oil separation efficiency and the regulatory effluent oil limit of a country to establish the technical basis for the periodic evaluation of separator performance and evaluation of compliance with the environmental regulation. The conventional oil-water separators designed with the novel design methods conformed to API design criteria and their dimensions are similar to dimensions of separators designed with the City of Tacoma design approach (a certified design approach), thus validating the novel design methods for the design of conventional oil-water separators. The novel design methods have global applicability. They can be applied in every country.

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Pollution prevention and control are very significant for protecting humanity and the environment against pollution and its adverse effects worldwide. The primary resistance of every country to the occurrence of any of the adverse effects of pollution is a function of the country's pollution prevention & control. Strengthening pollution prevention & control in a country is tantamount to preventing the occurrence of any of the adverse effects of pollution (including any of the pollution-related communicable diseases). Knowing the status of the pollution prevention & control in a country will enable its Government to plan and improve on it. This research work conducted a survey on the extent of availability of pollution prevention & control infrastructure, availability of environmental regulatory agencies and compliance of operating companies to environmental regulations in the Niger Delta. Based on the outcome of the survey, this work invented a novel composite metric titled "Pollution Prevention & Control Index" (PPCI) for measuring the status of pollution prevention & control in a country or region. It is a measure of the protection of the population and the environment against pollution and its adverse effects. Results revealed that the higher the pollution prevention & control index of a country, the smaller the work left undone (or the work to be done) to protect the environment and the population of the country against pollution, its adverse effects and vice versa. Results also showed that the generic pollution prevention & control index of a developed country is higher than that of a developing country.

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