Toxicity Characteristics of Drilling Mud and Its Effect on Aquatic Fish Populations
Publication: Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 16, Issue 1
Abstract
Toxicity tests are important for assessing the effects of complex chemical mixtures, such as waste drilling mud, on aquatic ecosystems. When waste drilling mud is released into the marine environment, strong ocean currents perhaps separate the drilling mud into a solid phase (SP) and a suspended particulate phase (SPP). A comprehensive assessment of drilling mud and base oil was carried out in the laboratory for acute fish toxicity (freshwater fish, marine fish, and benthic organisms) and biodegradability. The results presented in this paper indicate that the 96 h for fresh water, marine and benthic organisms was in the order of base oil . The 28-day biodegradability of base oil was also more than that of drilling mud. The results also showed that nonaqueous drilling fluids (NADFs) are readily biodegradable. The Spearmen results clearly showed the effects on fish populations from the discharge of drilling mud into aquatic systems. The results showed that the use of NADFs instead of water-based fluids (WBFs) would have lesser adverse impact on the environment.
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Published In
Journal of Hazardous, Toxic, and Radioactive Waste
Volume 16 • Issue 1 • January 2012
Pages: 51 - 57
Copyright
© 2012 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jun 28, 2010
Accepted: Oct 26, 2010
Published online: Nov 22, 2010
Published in print: Jan 1, 2012
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