Effects of Crude Oil Spillage on the Physico-chemical Properties of Soil, Tarjan, Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abstract

Kurdistan is a new oil producing region in the Middle East, and the oil wells are located in or near farm-lands. Crude oil spillage is a big threat to the soil fertility, which is especially important for farming. Spillage occurs due to the pipeline rupture, and traffic accidents involving tankers which are very common in Kurdistan. The physico-chemical properties of soil are susceptible to alteration when polluted with crude oil, and this issue is not been studied well in Kurdistan. The intent of this paper is to study the effects of crude oil spillage on the physico-chemical properties of soil in Tarjan village, Kurdistan region-Iraq. For this purpose soil samples were collected in the Tarjan area, tested in a laboratory, and compared to non-polluted soil sample. The pH values of the soil samples remained almost the same. The electrical conductivity, and salinity increased. The amount of sulfate increased, the amount of potassium decreased. The amount of lead increased. The changes in these parameters in the soil affected plant growth in the spillage area, as there was no sign of vegetation on the affected soils. There was a positive correlation between salinity and lead and negative correlation between pH, electrical conductivity, potassium ions and sulphate ions.

Keywords: Crude oil, Soil, pH, EC, Salinity, Sulfate, Potassium, Lead