4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria

4-D Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was employed at the Kegbara Dere oil spill site in Ogoniland, Rivers State, southern Nigeria, to monitor the pollution dynamics of the contaminant plume, identify its preferential flow path, and determine target areas for decontamination to opti...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Stanley Uchechukwu Eze, Difference Odeyovwi Ogagarue, Juyeon Jeong, Myung Jin Nam, Omafume M. Orji, Williams N. Ofuyah
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Academia.edu Journals 2025-02-01
Series:Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
Online Access:https://www.academia.edu/127933116/4_D_ERT_monitoring_of_oil_spill_contamination_dynamics_and_remediation_planning_in_southern_Nigeria
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849739094743056384
author Stanley Uchechukwu Eze
Difference Odeyovwi Ogagarue
Juyeon Jeong
Myung Jin Nam
Omafume M. Orji
Williams N. Ofuyah
author_facet Stanley Uchechukwu Eze
Difference Odeyovwi Ogagarue
Juyeon Jeong
Myung Jin Nam
Omafume M. Orji
Williams N. Ofuyah
author_sort Stanley Uchechukwu Eze
collection DOAJ
description 4-D Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was employed at the Kegbara Dere oil spill site in Ogoniland, Rivers State, southern Nigeria, to monitor the pollution dynamics of the contaminant plume, identify its preferential flow path, and determine target areas for decontamination to optimize remediation planning. Twelve survey lines were executed in a grid at four time points at the spill site. The independent inversion of 3-D datasets displayed acute variations in the apparent resistivity of the contaminants in response to precipitation, and a maximum depth of 41.8 m was imaged. A time-dependent evaluation of 3-D ERT models showed a reduction in the apparent resistivity of the contaminant plume during the rainy season compared to the dry season. This tendency is attributed to the dilution effect of rainfall, which increases the water content of the soil in the wet season. The time-lapse (TL) 3-D datasets were subjected to 4-D simultaneous inversion using a developed in-house algorithm, and the 4-D inversion results were analyzed to show the real-time position of the contaminant plume and the migration flow pathway is oriented to the southwest of the spill site. A maximum depth of 44.0 m was investigated. The 4-D inversion was able to eliminate time-related inversion artifacts to identify the preferential flow path of contaminant plumes at the spill site. This allows the environmental assessment of the target areas for cleanup and decontamination. An investigation of water specimens collected from five boreholes at the spill site revealed an average concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon for the specimens as 739.51 µg/l, which surpassed the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) margins (50 and 600 µg/l). The summed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentration in the specimens was measured at 0.70 µg/l in borehole 1 (BH1), 0.79 μg/l in borehole 2 (BH2), 0.36 μg/l in borehole 3 (BH3), 1.00 μg/l in borehole 4 (BH4), and 1.89 μg/l in borehole 5 (BH5), which are beyond the DPR target margin of 0.15 µg/l. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene compositions also displayed elevated concentrations in the specimens. The direction of groundwater flow is toward BH4, located southwest of the spill site, indicating the most at-risk receptor area for contamination. The results obtained from the geophysical and geochemical methods showed a strong correlation and have been validated as efficacious tools for environmental monitoring and pollution assessment at contaminated sites. The 4-D inversion proved beneficial for remediation planning and sustainable development, even in the presence of rainfall during the TL surveys.
format Article
id doaj-art-7a793daaa7684804bdf3a1e5def5e44b
institution DOAJ
issn 2997-6006
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Academia.edu Journals
record_format Article
series Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
spelling doaj-art-7a793daaa7684804bdf3a1e5def5e44b2025-08-20T03:06:24ZengAcademia.edu JournalsAcademia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability2997-60062025-02-012110.20935/AcadEnvSci75154-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern NigeriaStanley Uchechukwu Eze0Difference Odeyovwi Ogagarue1Juyeon Jeong2Myung Jin Nam3Omafume M. Orji4Williams N. Ofuyah5Department of Applied Geology, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State 350002, Nigeria.Centre of Excellence in Geoscience and Petroleum Engineering, University of Benin, Edo State 300213, Nigeria.Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, South Korea.Department of Energy and Mineral Resources Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, South Korea.Department of Petroleum Engineering and Geoscience, Petroleum Training Institute, Effurun, Delta State 330102, Nigeria.Department of Applied Geophysics, Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun, Delta State 330102, Nigeria. 4-D Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) was employed at the Kegbara Dere oil spill site in Ogoniland, Rivers State, southern Nigeria, to monitor the pollution dynamics of the contaminant plume, identify its preferential flow path, and determine target areas for decontamination to optimize remediation planning. Twelve survey lines were executed in a grid at four time points at the spill site. The independent inversion of 3-D datasets displayed acute variations in the apparent resistivity of the contaminants in response to precipitation, and a maximum depth of 41.8 m was imaged. A time-dependent evaluation of 3-D ERT models showed a reduction in the apparent resistivity of the contaminant plume during the rainy season compared to the dry season. This tendency is attributed to the dilution effect of rainfall, which increases the water content of the soil in the wet season. The time-lapse (TL) 3-D datasets were subjected to 4-D simultaneous inversion using a developed in-house algorithm, and the 4-D inversion results were analyzed to show the real-time position of the contaminant plume and the migration flow pathway is oriented to the southwest of the spill site. A maximum depth of 44.0 m was investigated. The 4-D inversion was able to eliminate time-related inversion artifacts to identify the preferential flow path of contaminant plumes at the spill site. This allows the environmental assessment of the target areas for cleanup and decontamination. An investigation of water specimens collected from five boreholes at the spill site revealed an average concentration of total petroleum hydrocarbon for the specimens as 739.51 µg/l, which surpassed the Directorate of Petroleum Resources (DPR) margins (50 and 600 µg/l). The summed polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons concentration in the specimens was measured at 0.70 µg/l in borehole 1 (BH1), 0.79 μg/l in borehole 2 (BH2), 0.36 μg/l in borehole 3 (BH3), 1.00 μg/l in borehole 4 (BH4), and 1.89 μg/l in borehole 5 (BH5), which are beyond the DPR target margin of 0.15 µg/l. Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene compositions also displayed elevated concentrations in the specimens. The direction of groundwater flow is toward BH4, located southwest of the spill site, indicating the most at-risk receptor area for contamination. The results obtained from the geophysical and geochemical methods showed a strong correlation and have been validated as efficacious tools for environmental monitoring and pollution assessment at contaminated sites. The 4-D inversion proved beneficial for remediation planning and sustainable development, even in the presence of rainfall during the TL surveys.https://www.academia.edu/127933116/4_D_ERT_monitoring_of_oil_spill_contamination_dynamics_and_remediation_planning_in_southern_Nigeria
spellingShingle Stanley Uchechukwu Eze
Difference Odeyovwi Ogagarue
Juyeon Jeong
Myung Jin Nam
Omafume M. Orji
Williams N. Ofuyah
4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria
Academia Environmental Sciences and Sustainability
title 4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria
title_full 4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria
title_fullStr 4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria
title_full_unstemmed 4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria
title_short 4-D ERT monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern Nigeria
title_sort 4 d ert monitoring of oil spill contamination dynamics and remediation planning in southern nigeria
url https://www.academia.edu/127933116/4_D_ERT_monitoring_of_oil_spill_contamination_dynamics_and_remediation_planning_in_southern_Nigeria
work_keys_str_mv AT stanleyuchechukwueze 4dertmonitoringofoilspillcontaminationdynamicsandremediationplanninginsouthernnigeria
AT differenceodeyovwiogagarue 4dertmonitoringofoilspillcontaminationdynamicsandremediationplanninginsouthernnigeria
AT juyeonjeong 4dertmonitoringofoilspillcontaminationdynamicsandremediationplanninginsouthernnigeria
AT myungjinnam 4dertmonitoringofoilspillcontaminationdynamicsandremediationplanninginsouthernnigeria
AT omafumemorji 4dertmonitoringofoilspillcontaminationdynamicsandremediationplanninginsouthernnigeria
AT williamsnofuyah 4dertmonitoringofoilspillcontaminationdynamicsandremediationplanninginsouthernnigeria