Assessment of Hydrocarbons (Aromatic and Aliphatic) and Identification of their Origins in the Soil of Areas Near Oil Fields in Southern Iraq

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of total hydrocarbon pollutants in soil (aromatic and aliphatic) to determine the indicators of the origin of petroleum pollutants in locations near oil fields in southern Iraq, namely the Amara Oil Field, Nasiriyah Oil Field, North Rumaila Field Station 5, and Nahran Ben Umar Field. Four surface soil samples (0-30 cm) contaminated with hydrocarbons were taken from each field. It is observed that the origin of aromatic compound pollution in all oil fields is commonly Petrogenic and Pyrogenic, shared between oil and its derivatives resulting from oil spillage during extraction operations from wells, as well as incidents involving pipelines and leaks during oil transportation and extraction, and the gases resulting from incomplete fuel combustion, especially the gas accompanying the burning of oil in burners, as well as the smoke produced by engines, the combustion of diesel fuel, and electric generators. The evidence suggests that the source of aliphatic compounds in all oil field samples was of human origin, resulting from oil industries in the fields, factories, oil refining, transportation through pipes, electric generators, burners, and the toxic gases they produce that are transferred to the soil and cause its pollution with hydrocarbon compounds.