radioactivity in oily sludge and produced waste water from oil environmental concerns and potential remedial measures含油污泥和生产废水中放射性从石油环境问题和潜在的补救措施.pdfVIP

Sustainability 2010, 2, 890-901; doi:10.3390/su2040890 OPEN ACCESS sustainability ISSN 2071-1050 /journal/sustainability Article Radioactivity in Oily Sludge and Produced Waste Water from Oil: Environmental Concerns and Potential Remedial Measures Avin E. Pillay 1,*, Fadhil M. Salih 2 and Muthana I. Maleek 3 1 Chemistry Department, The Petroleum Institute, P.O. Box 2533, Abu Dhabi, UAE 2 C/o Department of Clinical and Biomedical Physics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, Al Khoud, 123, Oman; E-Mail: fadhilsalih@ 3 Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Wasit, Kut, Wasit, 4256, Iraq; E-Mail: muthana.ibrahem@ * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: apillay@pi.ac.ae; Tel.: +9712-6075417; Fax: +9712-6075423. Received: 21 January 2010; in revised form: 18 March 2010 / Accepted: 24 March 2010 / Published: 31 March 2010 Abstract: Produced water separated from oil is usually returned to the environment and could permeate through the water table. If such water is contaminated with radioactive substances, it could create a definite threat to the water supply, especially in arid regions where ground water and overhead streams are sources of potable water. Low-level radioactive contamination of oily sludge is equally hazardous and also leads to detrimental pollution of water resources. We investigated the distribution of 226Ra, 40K and 228Ac in produced waste water and oily sludge and found abnormal levels of radioactivity. A total of 90 gr