IntroductionOil and gas are one of the most important resources in the world and it plays a role in the global economy. However, the activities of oil and gas from most of companies in the world have many negative impacts on the environment. One of the reasons is due to the waste production from the oil and gas industry. According to Environmental Quality Act 1974, waste can be defined as any matter prescribed to be waste and any matter, whether liquid, solid, gaseous or radioactive, which is discharged, emitted, or deposited in the environment in such volume, composition or manner as to cause an alteration of the environment. The exploration and extraction of oil and gas processes produce the waste materials such as used drilling fluids and drilling cuttings like complex mixtures of clays and chemicals. Usually the waste is discharged directly from the platforms into the surrounding marine water.Based on the standard procedure, the waste has to clean first before discharge the waste into the marine water by various physical means and the company has to follow the limits on levels of contaminants based on the regulations and legislations. If the disposal of these wastes is not regulated, the resulting environmental pollution may lead to radiation exposure, whether for people directly involved in oil and gas operations, the general public, animals and plants. There are several potential adverse impacts to the marine water due to disposal of wastes. For example is it can pollute of the marine environment, surface soil and water degradation and groundwater contamination?In general, this paper provides an overview on the oil exploration and production waste discharges according to legislative and waste management practices perspective in Malaysia and the study of the effect of the waste produced from the oil and gas industry to the environment. The scopes of the study are covered by several sections as follows: the oil exploration and production waste discharges, waste management in oil and gas waste products, the regulations and legislations act related to oil and gas in Malaysia and the possible environment impact due to disposal of wastes to marine water.
Literature ReviewOil exploration and production waste discharges
AbstractThe core frame of research is dominated by the waste management practice of the oil exploration and production waste discharges from Malaysia's petroleum industry related to legislation. As the waste harms the environment, the composition and possible environmental impact of the waste produced from the offshore drilling process activities are studied. This research will lead to a better waste management practices framework which comply Malaysia's legislation and regulation act. In this study, the biggest issues that limits the waste management practices in petroleum industry in Malaysia is lacking of practices on petroleum waste management. The main difference between waste management practices between Asian and African countries is the African country has more utilization of waste into us...