Co esponding au ho : ORIJI, S.E
Copy igh © 2025 Au ho (s) e ain he copy igh o his a icle. This a icle is published unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion License 4.0.
Concen a ion o hea y me als o p oduced wa e in Owaza and agbada oil ields in
Nige del a
Sma Eze ORIJI *, Aku o Eph aim GOBO, Pa ick Omo odion YOUDEOWEI and Kingsley Ezechukwu OKPARA
Ins i u e o Geoscience and en i onmen al managemen , Ri e s S a e Uni e si y, Nkpolu-O owo ukwo, Po Ha cou ,
Ri e s S a e, Nige ia.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
Publica ion his o y: Recei ed on 23 Ma ch 2025; e ised on 09 May 2025; accep ed on 11 May 2025
A icle DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.30574/wja .2025.26.2.1546
Abs ac
Was ed wa e om p oduc ion is a majo p oblem in bo h A ica and he Uni ed S a es. This s udy ocused on he
concen a ion o hea y me als in p oduced wa e o wo Oil Fields (Owaza and Agbada) in he Nige Del a. In in e al o
one mon h each sample o p oduced wa e was collec ed om Agbada and Owaza oil ields o a o al o ou mon hs
espec i ely. S anda d me hod was used o de e mine he hea y me als con en s in collec ed p oduced wa e samples
o he wo oil ields wi h he use o a omic adso p ion spec opho ome e (AAS) o analyze he concen a ion o hea y
me als o I on (Fe), Ba ium (Ba), Cadmium (Cd), Cuppe (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb) and Zinc (Zn).
The hea y me als pa ame e s in Owaza Oil ields in Nige Del a wi h highes mean concen a ion is I on (Fe) (1.011),
Zinc (Zn) (0.124), Cuppe (Cu) (0.073), Manganese (Mn) (0.060), Ba ium (Ba) (0.035), Nickel (Ni) (0.034), Cadmium
(Cd) (0.015), Lead (pb) (0.010) espec i ely. The hea y me als pa ame e s in Agbada oil ield in Nige Del a wi h highes
mean concen a ion is I on( e), (1.011), Zinc (Zn) (0.125), Cuppe (Cu) (0.074), Manganese (Mn) (0.060), Ba ium (Ba)
(0.035), Nickel (Ni) (0.034) and Cadmium (Cd) (0.015), lead (Pb) (0.011) espec i ely. Hea y me al concen a ions o
he bo h oil ields excep o I on (Fe) we e wi hin s anda d limi s o Fede al En i onmen al P o ec ion Agency (FEPA)
and Wo ld Heal h O ganiza ion (WHO). Howe e , p oduced wa e should be adequa ely ea ed be o e being
discha ged in o he en i onmen o p o ec he heal h o oil and gas wo ke s and esidence o he s udy a ea.
Keywo ds: Nige Del a; Agbada; Owaza; Concen a ion; Hea y Me als; Oil Fields
1. In oduc ion
Was ed wa e om p oduc ion is a majo p oblem in bo h A ica and he Uni ed S a es. Al hough he majo i y is
einjec ed, he e is a po ion ha may be used o pu poses such as ea ed wa e , ag icul u e, o indus y (Sulli an e
al., 2004). In egions whe e wa e is sca ce, his esidual componen migh be aluable. P oduced wa e , also known
as o ma ion wa e , is a byp oduc o he ese oi 's na u al p ocesses (EPA, 1995). Chemical analyses o e luen ha e,
up un il ecen ly, mainly conce ned hemsel es wi h de e mining he concen a ion o oil in he wa e (To il e al., 2003).
The e wasn' much o a plan o handling he wa e ha came up wi h c ude oil ex ac ion in he beginning. Poo ly
ea ed was e would some imes be disca ded in o bodies o wa e , sca e ed on he g ound, o h own in o sub e anean
pi s whe e i would e en ually e apo a e o leak in o he ea h. Pe oleum enginee s g adually disco e ed ha
inc easing ou pu may be achie ed by pumping wa e in o oil ese oi s (G ego y e al., 2011).
These days, managing gene a ed wa e is c ucial due o i s abundance, high ea men cos s, and en i onmen al
p oblems caused by he chemicals i con ains. Conce ning he discha ge o wa e o a ce ain quali y, some na ions ha
p oduce oil ha e enac ed egula ions and s anda ds.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2840
1.1. Hea y Me als
Hea y me als a e ubiqui ous in na u e and a e enowned o hei cha ac e is ics. As pollu an s, hey don' decompose
when hey accumula e in he en i onmen , and hey' e e y poisonous and long-las ing. Wi h an a omic densi y mo e
han 49/cm3, o a leas i e imes ha o wa e , a g oup o me als and me alloids a e collec i ely known as hea y
me als. Toxic hea y me als (Hg, C , Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cd) and o he hea y me als (Co, Sn, e c.) make up one g oup o hea y
me als. Addi ional aluable me als include pd, hodium, sil e , gold, and u henium. Nuclea , ho ium, and ammonia
adionuclides ound up he g oup (Annadu al e al., 2012).
Fo ma ion wa e , aqui e s, o e en c ude oil, when combined wi h wa e , may be a sou ce o hea y me als in p oduced
wa e . Bo h na u al and man-made sou ces con ibu e o he p esence o hea y me als in ou wa e . Indus ial was e,
animal was e, mining ope a ions, and ag icul u al chemicals a e he p ima y sou ces o hea y me al pollu ion. And you
hough indus ial e luen wi h hea y me als couldn' occasionally clog he wa e sys em? This is a se ious ma e .
Hea y me als a e eleased in o wa e bodies when acid ain b eaks down soils and ocks.
O e ime, hea y me als in he en i onmen may accumula e and dis up ecosys ems, among o he issues. Nickel, o
example, is known o cause majo p oblems wi h he kidneys and lungs. The ep oduc i e sys em, kidneys, and li e
may all be nega i ely a ec ed by lead poisoning. The oxic symp oms o nickel poisoning o en include anaemia,
sleeplessness, mig aines, e igo, i i abili y, hallucina ions, and p oblems wi h he kidneys. Hea y me als will
con amina e he en i onmen and aqui e s as a esul o mining ope a ions. In o de o add ess hese con aminan s,
we need o in es iga e no el ea men me hods (Annadu al e al., 2012). Reducing he possibili y o soil con amina ion
and p e en ing an inc ease in pollu ion a es caused by he negligen disposal o mining was e and o he ma e ials is o
he u mos impo ance. The oublesome me als in pollu ed soils accumula e in plan s' issues and o gans because
plan s abso b hem. Animals ha consume pollu ed ood o d ink, as well as ma ine o ganisms ha spend ime in
en i onmen s ich in hea y me als, may abso b hese me als in o hei bodies and expe ience some e y nas y side
e ec s.
2. Ma e ials and me hods
2.1. S udy A ea
Nige Del a egion has mos o he coun y’s c ude oil deposi and is known as he la ges del a in A ica and hi d la ges
in he wo ld. Howe e , he egion es ima es o abou 23% o Nige ia’s o al popula ion (HBW, 1999).
Agbada low s a ion is loca ed a Agbada a mland in Aluu in Ikwe e Local Go e nmen A ea o Ri e s S a e, Nige Del a
Nige ia, lies be ween longi ude 4 470o N o 5 143 00 N and la i ude 6 490 0E o 7 530 oE. I is mode a ely popula ed
sub-u ban en i onmen . Agbada is ulne able o c ude oil pollu ion due o he ne wo k pipelines connec ing Rumuekpe
and Ibaa communi ies loca ed in he ou ski s o Po Ha cou Ci y in Ri e s S a e.
Owaza low s a ion is loca ed in Ukwa Wes Local Go e nmen A ea o Abia S a e, lies be ween longi ude 5 00 N and 5
450 N and la i ude 7 150 E and 7 450 E. This a ea is ich mang o e ege a ion which lies along he Imo Ri e . The
discha ge poin o p oduced wa e is abou 5km ups eam om he sho es o he Imo Ri e which some inhabi an s o
he a ea s ill use o hei daily domes ic ac i i ies.
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2841
Sou ce: Field su ey 2024
Figu e 1 Agbada oil ield loca ion Figu e 2 Owaza Oil Field loca ion
2.2. Sample Collec ion/Analysis o Hea y Me als
In in e al o one mon h each sample o p oduced wa e was collec ed om Agbada and Owaza oil ields o a o al o
ou mon hs espec i ely. S anda d me hod was used o de e mine he hea y me als con en s in collec ed samples. The
concen a ion o 8 me als I on (Fe), Ba ium (Ba), Cadmium (Cd), coppe (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Nickel (Ni), Lead (Pb),
and Zinc (Zn) was analyzed using a omic adso p ion spec opho ome e . All glasswa e was soaked in 25% / ni ic
Owaza Oil Field loca ion
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2842
acid (HNO3) p io o use o se e al days, insed wi h ho ni ic acid and hen insed se e al imes wi h de-ionized
wa e .
100 ml sample was mixed wi h acid p ese ed sample (5ml concen a ed HNO3 pe li e o sample) was ans e ed o
a 150-mL beake , and 5 ml o HCI was added. Then he beake was placed on he ho pla e in a ume hood o solu ion
e apo a ion. The olume o he sample aliquo was educed o abou 20 ml by gen le hea ing o abou wo hou s. A e
beake had cooled he sample solu ion was ans e ed quan i a i ely o a 100-ml olume ic lask, dilu ed o olume
wi h eagen wa e , s oppe ed and inally mixed o di ec analysis by he use o A omic Adso p ion spec opho ome e .
2.3. S a is ical Analysis
One-way ANOVA was used o es he mean di e ences be ween he di e ence loca ion and samples. I was used since
he samples a e mo e han wo and loca ions a e conside ed o be one-di ec ion. Howe e , he me hod o da a analysis
on mean concen a ion was calcula ed using he mean o mula o de i a ion a e (Gup a e al., 2002) as s a ed below:
x =∑𝑓𝑥
𝑛 …………………… (Eqn. 1)
o es he hypo hesis wi h mean di e ence in he loca ion/ a iables we done using one-way ANVOA
Xij = ∝ + xj + Yj + ∑ij …………- (Eqn. 2)
whe e ∝ = o e all mean
Xi = obse ed esponse based on hea y me al physicochemical pa ame e s
∑ij = andom e o e m.
3. Resul s
3.1. Concen a ions o Hea y Me als
Table 1 Resul s o P oduced Wa e Samples Concen a ion (Mg/L) O Eigh (8) Hea y Me als Pa ame e s in Agbada
Oil ield in Nige Del a.
S/N
Pa ame e s
Sample 1
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 2
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 3
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 4
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Mean
Concen a ion
1.
Lead (pb)
0.010
0.010
0.011
0.011
0.011
2.
Zinc (Zn)
0.125
0.124
0.124
0.125
0.125
3.
Cuppe (Cu)
0.075
0.074
0.073
0.074
0.074
4.
Manganese
(Mn)
0.059
0.061
0.060
0.060
0.060
5.
I on (Fe)
1.010
1.011
1.011
1.010
1.011
6.
Cadmium
(Cd)
0.014
0.014
0.015
0.015
0.015
7.
Nickel (Ni)
0.035
0.034
0.033
0.034
0.034
8.
Ba ium (Ba)
0.035
0.035
0.034
0.034
0.035
Sou ce: Field Su ey (2024).
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2843
Figu e 2 Mean concen a ion o P oduced Wa e Samples Concen a ion (Mg/L) O Eigh (8) Hea y Me als
Pa ame e s in Agbada Oil ield in Nige Del a
The hea y me als pa ame e s in Agbada oil ield in Nige Del a wi h highes mean concen a ion is I on( e), (1.011), Zinc
(Zn) (0.125), Cuppe (Cu) (0.074), Manganese (Mn) (0.060), Ba ium (Ba) (0.035), Nickel (Ni) (0.034) and Cadmium (Cd)
(0.015) Lead (Pb) (0.011) espec i ely.
Table 2 Resul s o P oduced Wa e Samples Concen a ion (Mg/L) O Eigh (8) Hea y Me als Pa ame e s in Owaza
Oil ields in Nige Del a
S/N
Pa ame e s
Sample 1
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 2
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 3
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 4
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Mean
Concen a ion
1.
Lead (pb)
0.009
0.010
0.009
0.010
0.010
2.
Zinc (Zn)
0.123
0.124
0.124
0.123
0.124
3.
Cuppe (Cu)
0.073
0.072
0.075
0.073
0.073
4.
Manganese
(Mn)
0.060
0.060
0.060
0.060
0.060
5.
I on (Fe)
1.010
1.011
1.011
1.011
1.011
6.
Cadmium
(Cd)
0.015
0.016
0.015
0.015
0.015
7.
Nickel (Ni)
0.134
0.134
0.033
0.034
0.034
8.
Ba ium (Ba)
0.036
0.035
0.035
0.034
0.035
Sou ce: Field Su ey (2024)
0
0.5
1
1.5
Lead (pb)
Zinc(Zn)
Cuppe (Cu)
Manganese (Mn)
I on (Fe)
Cadm ium (Cd)
Nickel (Ni)
Ba ium (Ba)
Mean Conc
Pa ame e s
Sample 1
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 2
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Sample 3
Concen a ion
(Mg/L)
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2844
Figu e 3 The mul iple Ba Cha Rep esen ing he Resul s o P oduced Wa e Samples Concen a ion (Mg/L) O Eigh
(8) Hea y Me als Pa ame e s in Owaza Oil ields in Nige Del a
The hea y me als pa ame e s in Owaza Oil ields in Nige Del a wi h highes mean concen a ion is I on (Fe) (1.011),
Zinc (Zn) (0.124), Cuppe (Cu) (0.073), Manganese (Mn) (0.060), Ba ium (Ba) (0.035), Nickel (Ni) (0.034), Cadmium
(Cd) (0.015), Lead (pb) (0.010) espec i ely.
Table 3 Gene al Linea Model Uni a ia e (One Fac o ANOVA) o he mean concen a ion o hea y me als pa ame e s
in Agbada and Owaza Oil ields in Nige Del a
Sou ce
Type III Sum o Squa es
d
Mean Squa e
F
Sig.
Co ec ed Model
0.114a
15
0.008
41.496
00.010
In e cep
0.098
1
0.098
535.711
0.210
Hea y Me al
0.066
7
0.009
51.592
0.060
Samples
0.014
1
0.014
73.938
0.070
Hea y Me al * Samples
0.034
7
0.005
26.524
0.500
E o
0.010
56
00.000
To al
0.216
72
Co ec ed To al
0.125
71
a. R Squa ed = .917 (Adjus ed R Squa ed = .895)
Table abo e p esen s he esul s o he Gene al Linea Model Uni a ia e (One Fac o ANOVA) analysis o hea y me als
in p oduced wa e samples om Agbada and Owaza Oil ields in he Nige Del a. The analysis e eals a signi ican
di e ence in mean p oduced wa e samples be ween Agbada and Owaza oil ields [F(7,56) = 73.938, p- alue =
0.070].Fu he mo e, he esul s indica e a signi ican e ec o hea y me al concen a ions on p oduced wa e samples
[F(7,56) = 26.524, p- alue = 0.500], since he es ima ed p- alues a e g ea e han 0.05.The e o e, we accep he null
hypo hesis (H0) s a ing ha he e is no signi ican di e en in he mean concen a ion o hea y me als pa ame e s in
Agbada and Owaza Oil ields in Nige Del a. Con e sely, we ejec he al e na i e hypo hesis (H1) indica ing he e is
signi ican di e en in he mean concen a ion o hea y me als pa ame e s in Agbada and Owaza Oil ields in Nige Del a.
The R-Squa ed alue o 0.917 shows ha 91.7% o he a ia ion in mean p oduced wa e Concen a ions can be
explained by hea y me al concen a ions, while 8.3% is a ibu ed o o he ac o s no cap u ed in he model.
4. Discussion
The esul s o he Gene al Linea Model Uni a ia e (One Fac o ANOVA) analysis o hea y me als in p oduced wa e
samples om Agbada and Owaza Oil ields, as p esen ed in Table 4.11, o e insigh in o he ela ionship be ween hea y
me al concen a ions and he quali y o p oduced wa e a hese loca ions. Acco ding o he analysis, he e is no
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2845
signi ican di e ence in he mean concen a ions o hea y me als be ween he wo oil ields, as indica ed by he F- alue
o 73.938 and a p- alue o 0.070. Since he p- alue is g ea e han 0.05, we ail o ejec he null hypo hesis (H0), which
sugges s ha he e is no signi ican di e ence in he mean concen a ion o hea y me al pa ame e s be ween Agbada
and Owaza Oil ields. The analysis shows ha he concen a ion o hea y me als does no ha e a signi ican e ec on he
p oduced wa e samples, as he F- alue o he e ec o hea y me als on wa e quali y is 26.524, wi h a p- alue o 0.500.
Since his p- alue is also g ea e han 0.05, we accep he null hypo hesis (H0), meaning ha hea y me al concen a ions
do no signi ican ly in luence he cha ac e is ics o he p oduced wa e in ei he o he oil ields. This esul implies ha ,
con a y o he expec a ions, he le els o hea y me als p esen in he p oduced wa e samples om bo h Agbada and
Owaza Oil ields do no ha e a meaning ul impac on wa e quali y.
Howe e , he R-squa ed alue o 0.917 is signi ican . This means ha 91.7% o he a ia ion in he mean concen a ions
o p oduced wa e samples can be explained by he hea y me al concen a ions, while he emaining 8.3% is a ibu ed
o o he ac o s ha we e no included in he analysis model. This ela i ely high R-squa ed alue sugges s ha ,
al hough he hea y me al concen a ions do no signi ican ly a ec he wa e quali y, hey s ill accoun o a subs an ial
po ion o he a iabili y in he p oduced wa e samples' cha ac e is ics.
In summa y, while hea y me als play a conside able ole in he o e all a ia ion in p oduced wa e concen a ions, he
ANOVA esul s sugges ha he e is no s a is ically signi ican di e ence in hea y me al concen a ions be ween he
Agbada and Owaza Oil ields. The e o e, any obse ed di e ences in wa e quali y be ween he wo oil ields a e no
a ibu ed o a ia ions in hea y me al le els.
Fu he s udy should conside he concen a ions o hea y me als no conside ed in his s udy wi h espec o he
s udied oil ields.
The e is signi ican di e ence in he concen a ion o hea y me als o p oduced wa e o Agbada and Owaza oil ields
and he p e ious s udy by E akh umen A.A. 2015 on he concen a ion o hea y me als in un ea ed p oduced wa e
om a c ude oil p oduc ion pla o m in Nige Del a.
5. Conclusion
In e alua ing he e ec i eness o egion-speci ic ma e ials in emo ing hea y me als a a ious Concen a ions
in e als, he esea ch o e s p ac ical insigh s in o a o dable and sus ainable wa e Concen a ions me hods. These
indings a e pa icula ly aluable o policymake s and en i onmen al manage s seeking o implemen cos -e ec i e,
local solu ions ha can add ess wa e quali y issues in oil-p oducing egions like he Nige Del a.
Hea y me al concen a ions a e c ucial ac o s in luencing wa e quali y. Howe e , he e is also a need o conside
addi ional a iables, such as ope a ional p ac ices and en i onmen al ac o s, ha could a ec p oduced wa e quali y.
Compliance wi h e hical s anda ds
Disclosu e o con lic o in e es
No con lic o in e es o be disclosed.
Re e ences
[1] Annadu al, R.S., & Lee, J.D. (2012). Adso p ion o Hea y Me als om Was ewa e using banana and o ange peel.
Wa e Science and Technology, 1, 185-190.
[2] Ayad, AA: Hamed, HA; Essam, A. (2010). Componen s and ea men o oil ield p oduced wa e . Al-khwa izm
Enginee ing Jou nal Vol 6. No. 1; 24-30.
[3] EPA, (2002). Exemp ion o oil and gas explo a ion and p oduc ion was es om Fede al was e egula ions. USEPA
Agency.4-6.
[4] E akh umen, A.A. (2015) Concen a ion o hea y me als in un ea ed p oduced wa e om a c ude oil p oduc ion
pla o m in Nige Del a, Nige ia. Jou nal o esea ch in o es y, wildli e and en i onmen al. Volume 7 No 1 Ma ch,
2015
Wo ld Jou nal o Ad anced Resea ch and Re iews, 2025, 26(02), 2839-2846
2846
[5] G ego y KB, Vidic RD, Dzombak DA (2011) Wa e managemen challenges associa ed wi h he p oduc ion o
shale gas by hyd aulic ac u ing. Elemen s 7(3): 181-186.
[6] HRW, Human Righ Wa ch, (1999): The P ice o Oil: Co po a e Responsibili y and Human Righ s Viola ions in
Nige ia’s Oil P oducing Communi ies. Published by Human Righ Wa ch, 193 pages. HRW Index No. 1-56432-
225-4. ISBN: 156432-225-4. Re ie ed on 06/10/2024 a 13:40 hou s om:
h p://www.h w.o g/ epo s/1999/nige ia/index.h m
[7] Jo gensen. WE: Du . EM (2002). P edic ion o d ug solubili y om s uc u e. J. Else ie , 31; 54 (3) 355 -66.
[8] Mackay, D; Pa e son, S. (1991). E alua ing he mul imedia a e o o ganic chemicals: a le el III ugaci y model.
En i on. Sci. Technol. 25(3), 427-436.
[9] Onojake, M.C.; Abanum, U.I. (2012). E alua ion and managemen o p oduced wa e om selec ed ields in Nige
Del a Nige ia. Applied Science Resea ch 4(1).39-47.
[10] Rabelais, S. (1992). Toxici y o P oduced Wa e o Ma ine En i onmen . P oduce Wa e Oslo Pa is Con e ence
Summi Pape . 2, 7-8.
[11] Sulli an, E.J; Bowman, R.S; Ka z, L; Kinney, K. (2004). Wa e T ea men Technology o Oil and Gas P oduced
Wa e . Wa e S ewa dship. 216-217
[12] To il, I. & U ik, R. (2003). Recen Knowledge abou P oduced wa e Composi ion, and he Dis ibu ion om
Di e en Chemicals o Risk o Ha m ul En i onmen al E ec s. SPE Con e ence, Kuala Lumpu , Malaysia. Vol. 4,
15-16.
[13] Udeagba a S.G, Isehunwa S.O, Oke eke N.U, Oguamah, I.U, (2021). T ea men o P oduced Wa e om Nige Del a
Oil Fields Using Simul aneou Mix u e o Local Ma e ials. Jou nal o Pe oleum Explo a ion and P oduc ion
Technology (2021) 11:289-302/doi.o g/10.1007/s/3202-020-01017-10.
[14] Udeagba a, S.G., Isehunwa S.O., Oke eke N.U., Oguamah, I.U, Kepunwa, A. and Nwanwe, O. (2021). T ea men o
P oduced Wa e om Nige Del a Oil Fields using Sequen ial Mix u e o Bio-adso ben s, Cogen Enginee ing, 8:1,
1939927, DOT: 10, 1080123311916.2021.1939927.
