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Oil pollution studies in the Nile River. I. Survey of oil and grease in Nile water
Environment International, Vol. 9, pp. 107-111, 1983 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
0160-4120/83 $3.00 + .00 Copyright © 1983 Pergamon Press Ltd.
OIL POLLUTION STUDIES IN THE NILE RIVER. I. SURVEY OF OIL AND GREASE IN NILE WATER Ahmed S. Moursy Water Pollution Control Laboratory, National Research Centre. Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
(Received 3 June 1982; Accepted 15 November 1982) A survey of oil and grease along the Nile River indicated the presence of variable concentrations of these pollutants. It was found that some stations along the Nile are more polluted than others. These are located mostly at lake Nasser port (Aswan segment); oil distribution' centers and ship waiting areas (Assiut segment); boat docks, a ship yard, and an electric power station (Cairo segment); and at factory areas (Rossetta segment). The level of oil and grease decreased significantly when moving downstream. In addition, the level of oil and grease along the river was lower in summer than in winter and spring. This may be attributed to the decrease of activities and increase of vaporization processes.
Introduction
Materials and Methods
The Nile River downstream from Aswan runs to the north mainly in one channel and is divided into two branches at Cairo. Its average width is 500-600 m and can be as wide as 1.5 km. The channel depth in deep pools reaches 20 m. The Nile is used as a water supply and as a waterway to transport different types of cargo, Oil and oil products are carried by tankers from lower to upper Egypt. In addition, many factories and oil distribution centers are located on the shores of the river. Process and cooling water is pumped from the Nile and returned to it after treatment or without treatment. Oil pollution may also take place through the discharge of sewage and some industrial wastewater (McGechan, 1973; A n d e r s o n e t a l . , 1974; Simpson, 1973; Cross and Lawson, 1974). Many studies have reported that oil compounds affect the taste and odor of drinking water and exert harmful effects on fish and man (Mackie et aL, 1972; Kleopfer, 1972; Novak et al., 1973; Goldacre, 1968; Connell, 1974; Anderson etal., 1974; Howgate et aL, 1977). The Nile River is the main source of water for drinking purposes, irrigation, and industry in Egypt. The objective of this work was to determine the concentration of oil and grease and their distribution along the river,
Five segments were identified along the Nile River. These are the Aswan, Assiut, Cairo, Demietta and Rossetta segments; the areas included in this survey are indicated in Fig. 1. Each segment is characterized by a different number of stations, representing a cross section of the Nile River. The location of various stations are as follows: (1) Aswan segment: stations 1 and 2, Lake Nasser Port; station 3, between the Aswan Dam and High Dam; station 4, Aswan city; station 5, El Sail drain; station 6, located 300 m downstream of El Sail drain. (2) Assiut segment: station 1, located 500 m before an oil distribution center; station 2, in front of the oil distribution center; station 3, located 500 m downstream of the oil distribution center; station 4, in front of an electric power station; station 5, downstream of the electric power station; station 6, the waiting area before the Assiut barrage; station 7, the waiting area after the Assiut barrage; station 8, downstream of the Assiut barrage; station 9, located 1 km downstream o f the Assiut barrage; station 10, located 2 km downstream o f the Assiut barrage. (3) Cairo segment: station 1, located 2 km upstream o f an iron and steel factory; station 2, in front o f the 107
108
Ahmed S. Moursy
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Fig. 1. River monitoringsegments, iron and steel factory; station 3, located 1 km downstream of the iron and steel factory; station 4, Kasr El Nile; station 5, Rod El Farag; station 6, located 500 m downstream of Rod E1 Farag; station 7, in front of an electric power station; station 8, located 3 km downstream of the electric power station. In September 1979, subsurface water samples from this segment were collected from the right (east) side, middle, and left (west) side of the river to measure the concentration of oil and grease, (4) Demietta segment: station 1, before the Zefta barrage; station 2, after the Zefta barrage; station 3, in front of the Talkha fertilizer factory; station 4, before the Faraskour sandy Dam. (5) Rossetta segment: station 1, upstream of an area containing factories; station 2, in front of a pesticide factory and a salt and soda factory; station 3, in front of a fertilizer factory; station 4, Edfina. Composite samples were collected in November 1978, March 1979, and June 1979, in 5-L glass bottles from each station. Samples were acidified, and oil and grease were extracted with chloroform. The extract was then dehydrated, evaporated, and analyzed to determine the concentration of total oil and grease using the gravimetric method given in Standard Methods (APHA, 1975). The weighed extracted matter was
saponified with an alkaline solution (Whitham, 1974) and the unsaponifiable matter was separated and weighed. The ference. saponifiable matter (grease) was determined by dif-
Aswan segment The concentrations of oil and grease obtained in the Aswan segment are given in Table 1. Floating oil slicks were visible on the surface water at stations 1 and 2 (Lake Nasser Port). The concentrations of oil and grease at these stations were high during the period of study, except in June 1979. These concentrations range from 2.55 to 15.2 mg L -1. This is probably due to the presence of boat docks and oil spills from ships. The level of oil and grease ranges from 0.76 to 4.2 mg L -~ at stations 3 and 4. Due to the industrial wastes and sewage that is discharged into E1 Sail drain, station 5, results obtained show that the concentration of oil and grease was high. Compared with results obtained at stations 3 and 4, the level of oil and grease was high at station 6 (downstream of El Sail drain). This was undoubtedly due to the discharge of the El Sail drain into the River Nile. Assiut segment At station 1, at the entrance of Assiut segment, the concentrations of oil and grease range from 1.95 to 3.39 mg L -~ (Table 1). Data show that the concentrations of the pollutants range from4.5 to 25.6 mg L -~ at stations 2 and 3. This rise is probably due to the presence of the oil distribution center, the increase in navigation, and oil spills during loading and unloading of oil products at these stations. Results obtained revealed that the level of oil and grease at stations 4 and 5 (downstream of the oil distribution center) was lower than that measured at stations 2 and 3. The concentration of oil and grease at stations 6 and 7 is considerably higher than that recorded at station 5. This may be linked with the presence of the ship waiting areas at stations 6 and 7. At stations 8-10, downstream of Assiut barrage, the concentrations decreased and ranged from 2.3 to 7.5 mg L-L Cairo segment Results obtained for the Cairo segment are presented in Table 2. The concentrations of the pollutants at station 1 (entrance of the segment) range from 1.3 to 3.2 mg L-L As shown in this table, a rise in oil and grease content took place at stations 2, 5, 6, and 7. At station 2 the concentration of the pollutants increased, ranging from 4.3 to 11.2 mg L-~. This rise is probably due to the presence of the iron and steel factory, which discharged its wastewater into the river. The concentrations of oil and grease at stations downstream of this factory (stations 3 and 4) range from 2.46 to 4.8 mg L-L The
Oil and grease in the Nile
109 Table 1. A comparison of the concentration of oil a nd grease observed in Nile water, during 1978-1979 in the Aswan a nd Assiut segments. C onc e nt ra t i on (mg L - ' )
Station No.
Distance from the High Dam Lake (km)
November, 1978
Oil
Oil a nd Grease Grease
March, 1979 Oil and Grease Grease
Oil
June, 1979
Oil
Grease
Oil and Grease
Aswan Segment 1 0 2 0 3 5 4 8 5 12 6 12.5
10.91 14.24 2.60 15.27 10.46
0.82 0.95 1.60 12.24 4.78
11.73 15.19 4.20 1.80 27.51 15.24
12.11 9.48 19.48 8.32
1.12 1.19 11.35 5.41
13.23 10.67 1.83 2.31 30.83 13.73
1.73 2.58 1.75 12.98 5.85
0.82 0.66 0.39 11.55 2.64
2.55 3.24 2.14 0.76 24.53 8.49
Assiut Segment 1 526 2 533 3 533.5 4 535 5 536 6 538 7 538.5 8 539 9 540 10 542
2.34 24.62 18.76 6.26 7.42 9.46 12.75 4.62 -
0.86 0.98 1.48 1.43 0.63 1.38 0.86 0.44 -
3.20 25.60 20.24 7.69 8.05 10.84 13.61 6.85 5.06 2.31
1.28 16.81 15.39 5.12 3.94 12.57 10.93 4.05 2.12 -
0.67 1.74 0.94 0.74 0.38 1.04 1.21 0.82 0.44 -
1.95 18.55 16.33 5.86 4.32 13.61 12.14 4.87 2.56 2.28
2.46 6.87 3.79 6.37 5.48 11.34 10.95 6.91 -
0.93 0.35 0.78 0.54 0.29 0.95 0.76 0.62 -
3.39 7.22 4.57 6.91 6.77 12.29 11.71 7.53 3.57 2.58
observed increase in oil and grease at stations 5 and 6 coincide with the presence o f a boat dock, a river bus stop, and a ship yard that is located on both sides of the Nile. Meanwhile, the concentration o f the pollutants showed a further increase at station 7. Such an increase is most probably due to the presence of the electric power station and building-brick factories at that location. In addition, station 7 is located downstream o f stations 5 and 6, and therefore the water entering at this station already carries high amounts o f pollutants. The level of the pollutants downstream o f these stations was relatively low. The survey was repeated in September 1979, to determine the amount o f oil and grease in the right (east) side, middle, and left (west) side of the river. The results
of this survey are summarized in Table 3. The results obtained show that the level o f the pollutants in the left side was higher than that measured in the right side. This is probably due to the increase of oil spills and activities in this side. It is of interest to note that the level of the pollutants observed in the middle o f the river was lower than that measured in the right and left side. Demietta segment As shown in Table 4, the concentration of oil and grease at station 3 of the Demietta segment was higher than the concentrations at stations 1, 2 and 4 during the period of study. This is probably due to the direct discharge of waste water from the fertilizer factory into the river. The concentration of the pollutants ranges from 11.8 to 14.5 mg L-' at station 3. At stations 1, 2,
Table 2. A comparison of the concentration of oil and grease observed in Nile water during 1978-1979 in the Cairo segment. C onc e nt ra t i on (mg L -t)
Station No.
Distance from the High Dam Lake (km)
November, 1978
Oil
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
900 902 903 930 936 936.5 945 948
-1.62 2.72 0.6 8.03 5.63 34.62 7.12
Oil and Grease Grease -2.71 0.61 2.00 4.59 4.42 1.64 0.33
1.28 4.33 3.33 2.60 12.62 10.05 36.26 8.45
March, 1979
Oil -7.53 2.61 2.75 14.36 14.21 8.74 2.47
Oil and Grease Grease -1.55 0.33 0.77 2.21 1.40 1.83 0.27
3.22 9.08 2.94 3.52 16.57 15.61 10.87 2.84
June, 1979
Oil -9.83 -3.02 12.58 15.62 21.83 4.04
Oil and Grease Grease -1.36 -1.89 2.98 1.21 0.31 0.64
2.68 I 1.19 2.46 4.81 15.56 16.83 22.14 4.68
110
A h m e d S. Moursy
Right Side
Middle
Left Side
a t stations in which most o f the shipping, industries, and oil distribution companies are centered. Results obrained reveal that the level o f the pollutants decreased significantly when moving downstream. The dilution effects result in a lower level of the pollutants in these w a t e r s . Furthermore, various chemical, physical, and
I
900
2.81
2 3 3'
902 903 915
14.63 9.12 0.58
0.94 2.41 1.16
1.42 5.11 5.73 2.88
biological processes that are known to degrade or destroy oil in water undoubtedly contributed to the general decrease in the pollutant concentrations observed (Walker, 1975; Moursy and El-Abagy, 1981). In
4' 5 5'
933 936 936.2
5.94 8.97 7.23
2.87 1.49 1.93
7.38 10.32 7.46
addition, data show that the level o f the pollutants along the Nile in summer was lower than that measured in winter and spring. This m a y be due to the decrease of
6 6' 6" 6" 7 7'
936.5 938 939 940 945 946
4.55 3.68 5.46 2.11 3.49 2.84
2.13 1.78 2.05 4.73 I. 12
3.11 3.14 6.45 4.32 17.45 10.33
activities and increase of vaporization
8
948
1.77
--
4.15
Table 3. Concentration o f oil and grease in Nile water in the Cairo
Station No.
segment, September, 1979. Distance from the Concentration (mg L -~) High Dam Lake (km)
4
930
2.37
1.52
1.76
and 4 the pollutants concentrations range from 0.9 to 5.2 mg L -1. Rossetta segment
At stations 2 and 3 of the Rossetta segment, the level of oil and grease observed was much higher than that measured at station 1 (Table 4). This rise m a y be attributed to the waste water discharged from the fac-
tories into the Nile. The concentration of the pollutants at station 4, downstream o f the factories, ranges from 1.7 to 4.5 mg L-'. These data show that the level o f the pollutants decreased significantly when moving downstream,
Conclusions In general, available data indicated that the highest oil and grease concentration in the Nile water was found
processes.
References Anderson, J. W., Neff, J. M., Cox, B. A., Tatem, H. F., and Hightower, C. M. (1974) Characteristics o f dispersion and watersoluble extracts o f crude and refined oils and their toxicity to estaurine crustaceans and fish, Marine Biol. 27, 75-88. American Public Health Association/American Water Works Association (1975) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water, Sewage and Industrial Wastes, 14th Ed. A P H A / A W W A , Washington, DC. Connell D. W., (1974) A keroSene-like taint in the sea mullet (Mugil
cephalus). 1. Composition and environmental occurrence of the tainting substance, Aust. J. Marine Freshwater Res. 25, 7-24.
Cross,F. L., Jr. and Lawson, J. R. (1974) New Petroleum refinery, Environmental impact, Am. Inst. Chem. Eng. Symp. Ser. 70,
808.
Goldacre, R. L. (1968) The effect o f detergent and oil on the cell m e m b r a n e , Fluid Stud. 2, 131. Howgate, P. et al. (1977) Petroleum tainting in fish. Rapp. P,-V. Reun. Cons. Int. Explor. Met. 171, 143-146. Kleopfer, R. D. and Fairless, B. J. (1972) Characterization of organic c o m p o u n d s in a municipal water supply, Environ. Sci. Technol. 6, 1035-1037. Mackie, P. R., McGill, A. S., and Hardy, R. (1972) Diesel oil contamination of brown trout (Salmo trutto). Environ. Pollut. 3, 9-16. McGechan, A. C. (1973) Water Pollution By Oil, Peter Hepple, ed., pp. 53-67. The Institute o f Petroleum. Applied Science Publish-
ers, Essex, England.
Table 4. A comparison o f the concentration of oil and grease observed in Nile water during 1978-1979 in the Demietta and Rossetta segments. Concentration (mg L-')
Station No.
Distance from the High D a m Lake (km)
November, 1978
Oil
Oil and Grease Grease
March, 1979
Oil
Oil and Grease Grease
June, 1979
Oil
Oil and Grease Grease
Demietta Segment 1 1030 2 1031 3 1066 4 1140
4.72 9.46 0.87
0.51 2.32 1.0
5.23 1.97 11.78 1.87
2.43 11.27 1.15
0.73 3.22 0.20
3.16 1.47 14.49 1.35
11.43 1.81
0.73 0.31
2.56 0.92 12.16 2.12
Rossetta Segment 1 1047.5 2 1049 3 1049.5 4 1128
1.52 14.43 9.33 1.42
2.32 15.21 13.35 3.10
3.84 29.64 22.68 4.52
6.15 5.34 1.52
-8.82 7.94 0.18
2.69 14.97 13.28 1.70
2.41 12.45 6.87 -
3.53 14.08 7.41 -
5.94 26.53 14.38 3.82
Oil and grease in the Nile Moursy, A. S. and EI-Abagy, M. M. (1981) Biodegradability of hydrocarbons in the refinery wastewater from Moustorod oil refinery, Environ. Int. 5, 39-46. Novak, J., Zlutick, J., Kubelk, V., and Mostecky, J. (1973) Analysis of organic constituents present in drinking water, J. Chromat. 76, 45-50. Simpson, J. R. (1973) Water Pollution By Oil, Peter Hepple, ed., pp. 97-101. The Institute of Petroleum. Applied Science Publish-
111 ers, Essex, England. Walker, J. D., Austin, H. F., and Colwell, R. R. (1975) Utilization of mixed hydrocarbon substrate by petroleum degrading microorganisms, J. Gen. Appl. MicrobioL 21, 27-35. Whitham, B. T., Duckworth, D. F., Harvey, A. A. B., Jeffery, P. G., and Perry, S. G. (1974) Marine Pollution By Oil. Characterization of Pollutants, Sampling, Analysis, and Interpretation, pp. 126132. Applied Science Publishers, Essex, England.
0160-4120/83 $3.00 + .00 Copyright © 1983 Pergamon Press Ltd.
OIL POLLUTION STUDIES IN THE NILE RIVER. I. SURVEY OF OIL AND GREASE IN NILE WATER Ahmed S. Moursy Water Pollution Control Laboratory, National Research Centre. Dokki, Cairo, Egypt
(Received 3 June 1982; Accepted 15 November 1982) A survey of oil and grease along the Nile River indicated the presence of variable concentrations of these pollutants. It was found that some stations along the Nile are more polluted than others. These are located mostly at lake Nasser port (Aswan segment); oil distribution' centers and ship waiting areas (Assiut segment); boat docks, a ship yard, and an electric power station (Cairo segment); and at factory areas (Rossetta segment). The level of oil and grease decreased significantly when moving downstream. In addition, the level of oil and grease along the river was lower in summer than in winter and spring. This may be attributed to the decrease of activities and increase of vaporization processes.
Introduction
Materials and Methods
The Nile River downstream from Aswan runs to the north mainly in one channel and is divided into two branches at Cairo. Its average width is 500-600 m and can be as wide as 1.5 km. The channel depth in deep pools reaches 20 m. The Nile is used as a water supply and as a waterway to transport different types of cargo, Oil and oil products are carried by tankers from lower to upper Egypt. In addition, many factories and oil distribution centers are located on the shores of the river. Process and cooling water is pumped from the Nile and returned to it after treatment or without treatment. Oil pollution may also take place through the discharge of sewage and some industrial wastewater (McGechan, 1973; A n d e r s o n e t a l . , 1974; Simpson, 1973; Cross and Lawson, 1974). Many studies have reported that oil compounds affect the taste and odor of drinking water and exert harmful effects on fish and man (Mackie et aL, 1972; Kleopfer, 1972; Novak et al., 1973; Goldacre, 1968; Connell, 1974; Anderson etal., 1974; Howgate et aL, 1977). The Nile River is the main source of water for drinking purposes, irrigation, and industry in Egypt. The objective of this work was to determine the concentration of oil and grease and their distribution along the river,
Five segments were identified along the Nile River. These are the Aswan, Assiut, Cairo, Demietta and Rossetta segments; the areas included in this survey are indicated in Fig. 1. Each segment is characterized by a different number of stations, representing a cross section of the Nile River. The location of various stations are as follows: (1) Aswan segment: stations 1 and 2, Lake Nasser Port; station 3, between the Aswan Dam and High Dam; station 4, Aswan city; station 5, El Sail drain; station 6, located 300 m downstream of El Sail drain. (2) Assiut segment: station 1, located 500 m before an oil distribution center; station 2, in front of the oil distribution center; station 3, located 500 m downstream of the oil distribution center; station 4, in front of an electric power station; station 5, downstream of the electric power station; station 6, the waiting area before the Assiut barrage; station 7, the waiting area after the Assiut barrage; station 8, downstream of the Assiut barrage; station 9, located 1 km downstream o f the Assiut barrage; station 10, located 2 km downstream o f the Assiut barrage. (3) Cairo segment: station 1, located 2 km upstream o f an iron and steel factory; station 2, in front o f the 107
108
Ahmed S. Moursy
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~,.~':::......... .... ~:o........!?~:~ ii!!!:~;.iii!ii:/ ::::::::.:::::::::::: .~ii:iiii:::iiiii:i' . --:';ii ~ !~
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Fig. 1. River monitoringsegments, iron and steel factory; station 3, located 1 km downstream of the iron and steel factory; station 4, Kasr El Nile; station 5, Rod El Farag; station 6, located 500 m downstream of Rod E1 Farag; station 7, in front of an electric power station; station 8, located 3 km downstream of the electric power station. In September 1979, subsurface water samples from this segment were collected from the right (east) side, middle, and left (west) side of the river to measure the concentration of oil and grease, (4) Demietta segment: station 1, before the Zefta barrage; station 2, after the Zefta barrage; station 3, in front of the Talkha fertilizer factory; station 4, before the Faraskour sandy Dam. (5) Rossetta segment: station 1, upstream of an area containing factories; station 2, in front of a pesticide factory and a salt and soda factory; station 3, in front of a fertilizer factory; station 4, Edfina. Composite samples were collected in November 1978, March 1979, and June 1979, in 5-L glass bottles from each station. Samples were acidified, and oil and grease were extracted with chloroform. The extract was then dehydrated, evaporated, and analyzed to determine the concentration of total oil and grease using the gravimetric method given in Standard Methods (APHA, 1975). The weighed extracted matter was
saponified with an alkaline solution (Whitham, 1974) and the unsaponifiable matter was separated and weighed. The ference. saponifiable matter (grease) was determined by dif-
Aswan segment The concentrations of oil and grease obtained in the Aswan segment are given in Table 1. Floating oil slicks were visible on the surface water at stations 1 and 2 (Lake Nasser Port). The concentrations of oil and grease at these stations were high during the period of study, except in June 1979. These concentrations range from 2.55 to 15.2 mg L -1. This is probably due to the presence of boat docks and oil spills from ships. The level of oil and grease ranges from 0.76 to 4.2 mg L -~ at stations 3 and 4. Due to the industrial wastes and sewage that is discharged into E1 Sail drain, station 5, results obtained show that the concentration of oil and grease was high. Compared with results obtained at stations 3 and 4, the level of oil and grease was high at station 6 (downstream of El Sail drain). This was undoubtedly due to the discharge of the El Sail drain into the River Nile. Assiut segment At station 1, at the entrance of Assiut segment, the concentrations of oil and grease range from 1.95 to 3.39 mg L -~ (Table 1). Data show that the concentrations of the pollutants range from4.5 to 25.6 mg L -~ at stations 2 and 3. This rise is probably due to the presence of the oil distribution center, the increase in navigation, and oil spills during loading and unloading of oil products at these stations. Results obtained revealed that the level of oil and grease at stations 4 and 5 (downstream of the oil distribution center) was lower than that measured at stations 2 and 3. The concentration of oil and grease at stations 6 and 7 is considerably higher than that recorded at station 5. This may be linked with the presence of the ship waiting areas at stations 6 and 7. At stations 8-10, downstream of Assiut barrage, the concentrations decreased and ranged from 2.3 to 7.5 mg L-L Cairo segment Results obtained for the Cairo segment are presented in Table 2. The concentrations of the pollutants at station 1 (entrance of the segment) range from 1.3 to 3.2 mg L-L As shown in this table, a rise in oil and grease content took place at stations 2, 5, 6, and 7. At station 2 the concentration of the pollutants increased, ranging from 4.3 to 11.2 mg L-~. This rise is probably due to the presence of the iron and steel factory, which discharged its wastewater into the river. The concentrations of oil and grease at stations downstream of this factory (stations 3 and 4) range from 2.46 to 4.8 mg L-L The
Oil and grease in the Nile
109 Table 1. A comparison of the concentration of oil a nd grease observed in Nile water, during 1978-1979 in the Aswan a nd Assiut segments. C onc e nt ra t i on (mg L - ' )
Station No.
Distance from the High Dam Lake (km)
November, 1978
Oil
Oil a nd Grease Grease
March, 1979 Oil and Grease Grease
Oil
June, 1979
Oil
Grease
Oil and Grease
Aswan Segment 1 0 2 0 3 5 4 8 5 12 6 12.5
10.91 14.24 2.60 15.27 10.46
0.82 0.95 1.60 12.24 4.78
11.73 15.19 4.20 1.80 27.51 15.24
12.11 9.48 19.48 8.32
1.12 1.19 11.35 5.41
13.23 10.67 1.83 2.31 30.83 13.73
1.73 2.58 1.75 12.98 5.85
0.82 0.66 0.39 11.55 2.64
2.55 3.24 2.14 0.76 24.53 8.49
Assiut Segment 1 526 2 533 3 533.5 4 535 5 536 6 538 7 538.5 8 539 9 540 10 542
2.34 24.62 18.76 6.26 7.42 9.46 12.75 4.62 -
0.86 0.98 1.48 1.43 0.63 1.38 0.86 0.44 -
3.20 25.60 20.24 7.69 8.05 10.84 13.61 6.85 5.06 2.31
1.28 16.81 15.39 5.12 3.94 12.57 10.93 4.05 2.12 -
0.67 1.74 0.94 0.74 0.38 1.04 1.21 0.82 0.44 -
1.95 18.55 16.33 5.86 4.32 13.61 12.14 4.87 2.56 2.28
2.46 6.87 3.79 6.37 5.48 11.34 10.95 6.91 -
0.93 0.35 0.78 0.54 0.29 0.95 0.76 0.62 -
3.39 7.22 4.57 6.91 6.77 12.29 11.71 7.53 3.57 2.58
observed increase in oil and grease at stations 5 and 6 coincide with the presence o f a boat dock, a river bus stop, and a ship yard that is located on both sides of the Nile. Meanwhile, the concentration o f the pollutants showed a further increase at station 7. Such an increase is most probably due to the presence of the electric power station and building-brick factories at that location. In addition, station 7 is located downstream o f stations 5 and 6, and therefore the water entering at this station already carries high amounts o f pollutants. The level of the pollutants downstream o f these stations was relatively low. The survey was repeated in September 1979, to determine the amount o f oil and grease in the right (east) side, middle, and left (west) side of the river. The results
of this survey are summarized in Table 3. The results obtained show that the level o f the pollutants in the left side was higher than that measured in the right side. This is probably due to the increase of oil spills and activities in this side. It is of interest to note that the level of the pollutants observed in the middle o f the river was lower than that measured in the right and left side. Demietta segment As shown in Table 4, the concentration of oil and grease at station 3 of the Demietta segment was higher than the concentrations at stations 1, 2 and 4 during the period of study. This is probably due to the direct discharge of waste water from the fertilizer factory into the river. The concentration of the pollutants ranges from 11.8 to 14.5 mg L-' at station 3. At stations 1, 2,
Table 2. A comparison of the concentration of oil and grease observed in Nile water during 1978-1979 in the Cairo segment. C onc e nt ra t i on (mg L -t)
Station No.
Distance from the High Dam Lake (km)
November, 1978
Oil
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
900 902 903 930 936 936.5 945 948
-1.62 2.72 0.6 8.03 5.63 34.62 7.12
Oil and Grease Grease -2.71 0.61 2.00 4.59 4.42 1.64 0.33
1.28 4.33 3.33 2.60 12.62 10.05 36.26 8.45
March, 1979
Oil -7.53 2.61 2.75 14.36 14.21 8.74 2.47
Oil and Grease Grease -1.55 0.33 0.77 2.21 1.40 1.83 0.27
3.22 9.08 2.94 3.52 16.57 15.61 10.87 2.84
June, 1979
Oil -9.83 -3.02 12.58 15.62 21.83 4.04
Oil and Grease Grease -1.36 -1.89 2.98 1.21 0.31 0.64
2.68 I 1.19 2.46 4.81 15.56 16.83 22.14 4.68
110
A h m e d S. Moursy
Right Side
Middle
Left Side
a t stations in which most o f the shipping, industries, and oil distribution companies are centered. Results obrained reveal that the level o f the pollutants decreased significantly when moving downstream. The dilution effects result in a lower level of the pollutants in these w a t e r s . Furthermore, various chemical, physical, and
I
900
2.81
2 3 3'
902 903 915
14.63 9.12 0.58
0.94 2.41 1.16
1.42 5.11 5.73 2.88
biological processes that are known to degrade or destroy oil in water undoubtedly contributed to the general decrease in the pollutant concentrations observed (Walker, 1975; Moursy and El-Abagy, 1981). In
4' 5 5'
933 936 936.2
5.94 8.97 7.23
2.87 1.49 1.93
7.38 10.32 7.46
addition, data show that the level o f the pollutants along the Nile in summer was lower than that measured in winter and spring. This m a y be due to the decrease of
6 6' 6" 6" 7 7'
936.5 938 939 940 945 946
4.55 3.68 5.46 2.11 3.49 2.84
2.13 1.78 2.05 4.73 I. 12
3.11 3.14 6.45 4.32 17.45 10.33
activities and increase of vaporization
8
948
1.77
--
4.15
Table 3. Concentration o f oil and grease in Nile water in the Cairo
Station No.
segment, September, 1979. Distance from the Concentration (mg L -~) High Dam Lake (km)
4
930
2.37
1.52
1.76
and 4 the pollutants concentrations range from 0.9 to 5.2 mg L -1. Rossetta segment
At stations 2 and 3 of the Rossetta segment, the level of oil and grease observed was much higher than that measured at station 1 (Table 4). This rise m a y be attributed to the waste water discharged from the fac-
tories into the Nile. The concentration of the pollutants at station 4, downstream o f the factories, ranges from 1.7 to 4.5 mg L-'. These data show that the level o f the pollutants decreased significantly when moving downstream,
Conclusions In general, available data indicated that the highest oil and grease concentration in the Nile water was found
processes.
References Anderson, J. W., Neff, J. M., Cox, B. A., Tatem, H. F., and Hightower, C. M. (1974) Characteristics o f dispersion and watersoluble extracts o f crude and refined oils and their toxicity to estaurine crustaceans and fish, Marine Biol. 27, 75-88. American Public Health Association/American Water Works Association (1975) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water, Sewage and Industrial Wastes, 14th Ed. A P H A / A W W A , Washington, DC. Connell D. W., (1974) A keroSene-like taint in the sea mullet (Mugil
cephalus). 1. Composition and environmental occurrence of the tainting substance, Aust. J. Marine Freshwater Res. 25, 7-24.
Cross,F. L., Jr. and Lawson, J. R. (1974) New Petroleum refinery, Environmental impact, Am. Inst. Chem. Eng. Symp. Ser. 70,
808.
Goldacre, R. L. (1968) The effect o f detergent and oil on the cell m e m b r a n e , Fluid Stud. 2, 131. Howgate, P. et al. (1977) Petroleum tainting in fish. Rapp. P,-V. Reun. Cons. Int. Explor. Met. 171, 143-146. Kleopfer, R. D. and Fairless, B. J. (1972) Characterization of organic c o m p o u n d s in a municipal water supply, Environ. Sci. Technol. 6, 1035-1037. Mackie, P. R., McGill, A. S., and Hardy, R. (1972) Diesel oil contamination of brown trout (Salmo trutto). Environ. Pollut. 3, 9-16. McGechan, A. C. (1973) Water Pollution By Oil, Peter Hepple, ed., pp. 53-67. The Institute o f Petroleum. Applied Science Publish-
ers, Essex, England.
Table 4. A comparison o f the concentration of oil and grease observed in Nile water during 1978-1979 in the Demietta and Rossetta segments. Concentration (mg L-')
Station No.
Distance from the High D a m Lake (km)
November, 1978
Oil
Oil and Grease Grease
March, 1979
Oil
Oil and Grease Grease
June, 1979
Oil
Oil and Grease Grease
Demietta Segment 1 1030 2 1031 3 1066 4 1140
4.72 9.46 0.87
0.51 2.32 1.0
5.23 1.97 11.78 1.87
2.43 11.27 1.15
0.73 3.22 0.20
3.16 1.47 14.49 1.35
11.43 1.81
0.73 0.31
2.56 0.92 12.16 2.12
Rossetta Segment 1 1047.5 2 1049 3 1049.5 4 1128
1.52 14.43 9.33 1.42
2.32 15.21 13.35 3.10
3.84 29.64 22.68 4.52
6.15 5.34 1.52
-8.82 7.94 0.18
2.69 14.97 13.28 1.70
2.41 12.45 6.87 -
3.53 14.08 7.41 -
5.94 26.53 14.38 3.82
Oil and grease in the Nile Moursy, A. S. and EI-Abagy, M. M. (1981) Biodegradability of hydrocarbons in the refinery wastewater from Moustorod oil refinery, Environ. Int. 5, 39-46. Novak, J., Zlutick, J., Kubelk, V., and Mostecky, J. (1973) Analysis of organic constituents present in drinking water, J. Chromat. 76, 45-50. Simpson, J. R. (1973) Water Pollution By Oil, Peter Hepple, ed., pp. 97-101. The Institute of Petroleum. Applied Science Publish-
111 ers, Essex, England. Walker, J. D., Austin, H. F., and Colwell, R. R. (1975) Utilization of mixed hydrocarbon substrate by petroleum degrading microorganisms, J. Gen. Appl. MicrobioL 21, 27-35. Whitham, B. T., Duckworth, D. F., Harvey, A. A. B., Jeffery, P. G., and Perry, S. G. (1974) Marine Pollution By Oil. Characterization of Pollutants, Sampling, Analysis, and Interpretation, pp. 126132. Applied Science Publishers, Essex, England.