The Concentration of Black Carbon Emissions From Natural Gas Flaring Activities in Basra Province, Iraq

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3891943/v1

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The Concentration of Black Carbon Emissions From Natural Gas Flaring Activities in Basra Province, Iraq

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3891943/v1

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Black carbon (BC) is generated from various sources of incomplete combustion. Both black carbon and particulate matter are emitted from flares, posing risks to health and contributing to climate change. This study focuses on assessing air pollution distribution in Basra Province by monitoring black carbon (BC) emissions. BC concentrations were measured using an aethalometer at sites rich in oilfields within Basra Province. These sites included six degassing stations (Tuba, Alluhais, Artawi, North Rumaila, Majnoon, and Nahran Omar) and two power plants (Alnajebia and Shatt Albasra). Along with wind direction, air velocity and wind speed were also recorded. All the sites were engaged in natural gas flaring. The BC concentrations were evaluated against the recommended exposure limit (REL). In winter, the average BC concentration was 5.66±1.49μg/m3; the lowest concentration was 3.7μg/m3 at the Majnoon oilfield, and the highest was 7.85μg/m3 at the Artawi Degassing Station—approximately eight times the REL. In spring, the average BC concentration was 4.94±1.28μg/m3; the lowest was 3.3μg/m3 at the Majnoon oilfield, and the highest was 7.05μg/m3 at the Altuba Degassing Station—around seven times the REL. Concentrations of BC at all monitored sites exceeded the REL. High BC levels in industrial areas are attributed to natural gas flaring. Incomplete combustion at these sites led to the emission of elevated concentrations of black carbon.

Environmental Chemistry

Terrestrial Ecology

air pollution

flares

oil activities

Iraq

Air is the most important and dangerous pollutant for humans and the environment. It is defined as the presence of one or more pollutants in the atmosphere, both indoors and outdoors, in quantities, characteristics, and duration that affect living organisms. These pollutants include smoke, particulate matter, mist, fumes, gases, odors, and vapors [1, 2].

Gas flaring is a process of burning natural gas and is associated with the extraction of crude oil. It causes acute damage to plants, animals, and humans [3, 4]. Flaring is a method commonly employed in the oil industry to eliminate unwanted flammable gases via oxidation at elevated temperatures. The main flaring products are greenhouse gases and black carbon (BC) [5, 6]. Flaring gas negatively affects human health, causing cancer, lung damage, neurological and skin problems, reproductive and blood issues, emphysema, bronchitis, respiratory irritation, asthma, shortness of breath, mortalities, and developmental effects [7–9].

Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are considered to be the primary sources of acid rain when they react with atmospheric moisture to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These pollutants adversely affect vegetation and acidify streams and lakes [10]. Pollutants emitted from flares, such as nitrogen dioxide, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and hydrogen sulfide, can acidify the soil and deplete its nutrients. The heat from flares has a negative impact on vegetation. The primary greenhouse gas emitted by flares is carbon dioxide, which contributes to climate change [8].

In addition to being recognized as a contributor to global warming through incomplete combustion processes, black carbon (BC) poses significant health risks. Therefore, it is crucial to develop mitigation methods to control the consequences of BC and to identify its sources [11].

Particulate matter (PM) pollutants, including PM10, PM2.5, and PM0.1, are among the most harmful. Pollutant emission quantity, intensity, physicochemical changes in the atmosphere, and the significant movement of air pollutants influence air quality [12].

Black carbon is a component of particulate matter (PM) that has a short-term health impact and is an active contributor to global warming owing to its ability to absorb solar radiation (Kim 2016). Carbonaceous aerosols contribute to approximately 25% of the volume of particulate matter with a diameter of less than 10 µm (PM10) across Europe [13]. They are essential chemical elements found in fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which has significant effects on air quality, climate change, and human health [14, 15]. Monitoring is necessary because long-term monitoring of black carbon was conducted by [16].

According to the 2013 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on the global direct radiative forcing of black carbon aerosols, the average value was 0.4 Wm − 2. Black carbon has unique physical properties that strongly absorb visible light. Black carbon absorbs more light than it reflects, warming the atmosphere through its interaction with sunlight [17]. Black carbon (BC) particulate matter (PM) emitted from flares during incomplete combustion is harmful to human health and climate change [18, 19]. The annual average of black carbon emissions from Russian flaring from 2012 to 2017 was 68.3 Gg/year [20].

Basra is the most important province in Iraq for oilfield extraction. [21, 22]. Most air pollution in Basra is caused by emissions from industrial facilities. Air pollution is a concern in the province; Shehabalden and Azeez [23]conducted a study on the air quality index in Basra Province, located in the southern region of Iraq.

The lack of long-term urban BC observations is mainly because monitoring for BC has never been deemed necessary, and it is not currently necessary. There is a lack of black carbon monitoring in Basra Province. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the distribution of air pollution in Basra Province through the emission of black carbon (BC). The study's hypothesis states that the concentrations of BC emissions from industries pollute the air surrounding the Basra Province.

2.1 Study Area

Basra Province is in southern Iraq bordered by the Arabian (Persian) Gulf, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia to the southwest. Simultaneously, it is connected to the east by Iran, bordered to the north by the provinces of Thi-Qar and Maysan, and to the west by Muthana Province.

Basra is a province in Iraq that is heavily contaminated with oil because of its numerous oilfields. The measurements were made at six degassing stations (Tuba, Allhais, Artawi, North Rumaila, Nahran Omar, and Majnoon) and two power plants (Alnajebia and Shatt Al-Basra). All sites had flaring gas (Fig. 1).

1- Tuba Degassing Station: It is located approximately 35 km southwest of Basra, situated between Zubair (5 km) to the east and South Rumaila (2 km) to the west.

2- Luhais Degassing Station: The Luhais Degassing Station is located near the administrative boundaries of Basra and Nasiriyah provinces. It is located 105 km west of Basra and 100 km southwest of the North Rumaila oil field.

3- Artawi Degassing Station: Artawi is located approximately 70 km northwest of Basrah City and approximately 12 km west of the Northern Rumaila Oil Field.

4- North Rumaila oilfield is located 50 km west of Basrah city in southern Iraq, approximately 32 km from the Kuwaiti border. The measurement was taken near Degassing Station 1 (DS1)

5- Majnoon oil field: It is located approximately 60 km away from the province of Basra, mainly along the Iraqi Iranian border.

6- Nahran Omar Degassing Station: Nahran Omar is a significant oil reservoir in southern Iraq, situated approximately 34 km north of Basrah.

7- Shatt Al Basra Power Plant: This is a gas turbine power plant located 39.7 km south of Basra City, near Shatt Al Basra.

8- Alnajebia Power Plant: The station is located approximately 6 km north of Basra city.

2.2 Measurement Device

2.2.1 Aethalometer device

The aethalometer captures particulate matter on a quartz fiber filter tape and measures light absorption at one or more wavelengths [24]. An aethalometer was used to measure black carbon (BC) [13, 25, 26]. Aethalometers (model AE-21, Magee Scientific, USA) measure BC by detecting the attenuation of a high-intensity light beam at wavelengths of 880 and 370 nm caused by BC particles that are collected on a rolled quartz filter tape with cellulose fiber backing. The concentrations of black carbon were determined with a time resolution of 5 minutes. At a flow rate of 2 L/min, air was drawn from a height of 2 m above Earth's surface. A 2.5-mm sharp-cut cyclone intake prevents particles larger than 2.5 mm from entering the device [27]. Black carbon is a strong absorber at 880 nm. The Aethalometer measures the BC concentration of black carbon (BC) in real-time using optical transmission and continuous filtering. A pump continuously draws in air to collect the particles deposited on the filter tape. The light streak initially travels over the unloaded filter tape before being compared with the loaded filter [28].

2.2.2 Air Velocity and Wind Direction

An air velocity meter (model 52235, Master Cool Company) was used to measure the wind speed in the study area. Acurite Weather station is used to measure wind direction.

2.3 Monitoring procedure

A Magee Aethalometer (model AE21) was used to measure black carbon concentrations. The aethalometer monitored the light absorption of the carbon particles in the near-infrared to near-ultraviolet range. The results from the 880 nm channel provide a quantitative measure of the black carbon content. The average concentrations of black carbon were measured monthly at eight stations in Basra Province, located at different locations. The distance from Basra City ranged from 6 to 105 km. In this area, there are natural gas fields where gas is burned as well as oil fields and power plants. An aethalometer was used to measure the concentration of black carbon in µg · m − 3 and was represented on the map of Basra using GIS software. The wind rose was plotted using the WRPLOT software.

Black carbon concentrations were measured for the first time at the Altuba Degassing Station, Allhais Degassing Station, Artawi Degassing Station, and Shatt Al Basra power plant during the winter and spring seasons from December 2021 to April 2022.

2.4 Data Analysis

Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. The values recorded at the pollutant monitoring sites represent mean BC concentrations. Statistical analysis of the data included analysis of variance.

The BC was measured in units of (µg.m^− 3) at eight stations in Basra province. The results showed that the BC concentration of black carbon varied from one site to another. The average concentration of BC in winter in each station (Nahran Omar, Altuba, Allhais, Artawi, Alnajebia, Shatt Al-Basra, NorthRumaila, Majnoon) was (6.4, 7.05, 6.15, 7.85, 4.45, 4, 5.7, 3.7) µgm^− 3 respectively, as shown in Fig. 2. It shows the distribution of black carbon concentration in the study area of Basra Province during winter. Colors represent the concentrations of black carbon. The ten colors range from blue, representing the lowest value, to red, representing the highest value. The lowest value was 3.7 µg.m^− 3 in the majnoon oil field, represented by blue, and the highest value was 7.85 µgm^− 3 in altuba Degassing Station, characterized by red.

The average concentration of BC in spring at each station (Nahran Omar, Altuba, Allhais, Artawi, Alnajebia, Shatt Al-Basra, North Rumaila, Majnoon) was (4.9, 7.05, 6.2, 5.4, 5.1, 3.8, 3.8, 3.3) µg/m³ respectively, as shown in Fig. 3. It shows the distribution of black carbon concentrations measured in the study area of Basra Province during the spring season. The lowest value was 3.3 µg.m^− 3 in the Majnoon oil field, represented by the blue color, and the highest value was 7.05 µg.m^− 3 in altuba Degassing Station, represented by the red color. The results indicated a significant variation in concentrations between the two seasons for the three sites (Nahran Omar, AlTuba, and North Rumaila). Concentrations were higher in winter than in spring. This may be due to the higher wind speeds and temperatures in spring than in winter. Figure 4 shows the wind speed and direction of the study area during winter. Figure 5 shows the wind speed and direction in the study area during spring. This result agreed with that of [24], who concluded that BC was higher in winter than in spring. Higher BC concentrations were detected in winter than in spring, indicating that in addition to seasonal changes in emissions, meteorological conditions may have influenced BC concentrations during the winter season.

To evaluate the effects of climatic parameters on the mass concentration of BC, a correlation analysis of BC mass concentrations and various climatic parameters, such as wind speed (m/s) and temperature (°C), was performed. BC was negatively correlated with the study temperature (r = -0.66). An inverse correlation (r = -0.52) was observed during spring when the temperature was 20.22°C. An inverse correlation was observed in winter (r = -0.73) when the temperature was 18.07°C. In this study, there was an inverse correlation (r = -0.11) between BC and wind speed.

The results indicated no significant variation in black carbon concentrations between the seasons. The average concentration of BC in winter was 5.66 ± 1.49, and in spring, it was 4.94 ± 1.28. Figure 6 shows the ratio of black carbon concentrations emitted during the winter and spring seasons to the total emissions during these two seasons. The average winter concentration reached 53%, which is 6% higher than the average spring concentration. Spring concentrations accounted for 47% of the total emissions.

These results disagreed with [29], who showed that BC concentrations were highest in winter and lowest in summer.

All sites in winter and spring had concentrations higher than the recommended exposure limit (REL) by NIOSH (1 µg.m^− 3) [30]. In winter, the BC concentration in the Artawi oilfield was approximately eight times higher than that in the REL. The concentration of BC in Altuba Degassing Station during spring was seven times higher than that in the REL, as shown in Fig. 7.

It has been established that black carbon (BC) is crucial for the climate. They affect cloud formation, atmospheric instability, and temperature profiles [31]. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the concentrations of BC and its sources. This area organizes BC monitoring from fossil fuels at 880 nm. The approach used to analyse data collected from various locations in the province of Basra demonstrated the value of this method for tracking BC.

The prevalence of Black Carbon (BC) is significantly elevated in industrialized regions, which is primarily attributable to the incomplete combustion processes observed in oilfields and power plants within the study area. These activities result in BC concentrations exceeding the Recommended Exposure Limit (REL). Furthermore, an inverse relationship between the wind speed and BC concentration was observed. This leads to seasonal variations, manifesting in elevated BC concentrations during the winter months compared to the spring months.

Acknowledgment

We want to acknowledge the Department of Ecology for their support during this research. This research was not funded by any grant.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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The Concentration of Black Carbon Emissions From Natural Gas Flaring Activities in Basra Province, Iraq

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Abstract

Figures

1. Introduction

2. Methodology

2.1 Study Area

2.2 Measurement Device

2.2.1 Aethalometer device

2.2.2 Air Velocity and Wind Direction

2.3 Monitoring procedure

2.4 Data Analysis

3. Results

4. Conclusions

Declarations

Acknowledgment

References

Additional Declarations

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