Gas flaring Effects around Agbada II Flow Station in Igwuruta, Rivers State, Nigeria

Abstract

The levels of pollutants around Agbada II Flow Station were investigated. Four sampling stations (A – D) located 500 m apart in the downwind direction and a control located 3.5 km in the upwind direction were monitored. The results showed that the air pollutant parameters varied as follows carbon monoxide 1.20 – 2.40 (1.80 ± 0.13), sulphur dioxide 0.00 – 0.01 (0.005 ± 0.001), Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) 0.00 – 0.01 (0.002 ± 0.001 ppm), Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) 0.001 – 0.001 (0.001 ± 0.0004 ppm), Ozove (O3) 0.01 – 0.01 (0.01 ± 0.005) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) 32.00 – 40.20 (36.10 ± 1.75) parts per million (ppm). The heavy metals in soil; lead (Pb) 0.01 – 0.80 (0.38 ± 0.07ppm), nickel (Ni) 70.00 – 80.20 (75.41 ± 3.68ppm), cadmium (Cd) 0.00 – 0.30 (0.05 ± 0.022 ppm), Cobalt (Co) 0.00 – 0.40 (0.08 ± 0.02 ppm), Copper (Cu) 1.20 – 2.30 (2.00 ± 0.16 ppm), Iron (Fe) 0.00 – 0.50 (0.10 ± 0.04 ppm), Zinc (Zn) 0.01 – 0.01 (0.01 ± 0.001 ppm), and meteorological parameters; wind speed 0.20 – 0.30 (0.26 ± 0.013) m/s, ambient temperature 28.6 – 36.4 (32.25 ± 0.188) ºC, relative humidity (RH) 70.00 – 75.00 (72.33 ± 1.72) %. There was a significant spatial difference in the mean values of the ambient air parameters at P < 0.05 and SPM contributed to the difference, though there were no significant correlations between levels of heavy metals. The mean values of all except Cobalt (Co) and Ni were above the Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR) permissible limits. It is recommended that the gases should be utilized optimally, and residential areas should be located at least 5 km from the station to reduce the detrimental effects of the pollutants