UNIVERSITY OF PORT HARCOURT

FACULTY OF CHEMICAL SCIENCES

DEPARTMENT OF PURE AND INDUSTRIAL CHEMISTRY

A SEMINAR REPORT

ON

GAS FLARE AND ITS EFFECT

PRESENTED BY

OGUNNAIKE GBOLAHAN BABATUNDE

U2009/5581226

COURSE CODE: CHM 400.2

COURSE TITLE: SEMINAR

COURSE COORDINATOR: DR (MR) CHIDI OBI

1

2

DEDICATION

This seminar is dedicated to God Almighty with love tomy wonderful siblings and cousins.

3

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My gratitude goes to the Almighty God for his wisdomwhich he endowed me with and his continous mercy uponmy life. I cannot but appreciate my everpatience ,encouraging and incusitive supervisor MRM.C.ONOJAKE for grooming me tonot just make thisresearch but understand the scope of it..i also remaingrateful to all related to me by virtue of birth,family lineage, friendship, academics church to you allI say thanks and God bless.

4

TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

FLARING IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER TWO5

WHAT IS GAS FLARING

REASONS FOR FLARING GASES

TYPES OF FLARE

DESCRIPTION OF A TYPICAL FLARE MACHINE

EMMISSION FACTOR FOR FLARE OPERATION

IDENTIFYING GAS FLARING AREA

EFFECTS OF GAS FLARE

CLIMATE CHANGE

ACID RAIN

AGRICULTURAL EFFECT

HEALTH IMPLICATION

ECONOMIC LOSS

HEAMOGLOGICAL EFFECT

POLLUTION

CHAPTER THREE

CONCLUSION

THE WAY FORWARD AND SOME RECOMMENDATION.

CHAPTER ONE.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

6

Over the years the threat to human life posed bypollution due to gas flare cannot be undermined. Gasflaring has been a contentious issue in Nigeria rightfrom the beginning of commercial exploitation of crudeoil in the country. The gas that is flared in the oilfields of the Niger Delta is called associated gasbecause it comes out of the earth along with the targetcrude oil and is separated from the crude so as to makethat commodity useful. The separated gas could behandled in a number of ways.

Firstly,

It could be harnessed for use as liquefied natural gas.

Secondly,

It could be re-injected into the earth where it camefrom.

Furthermore,

It could be vented or flared.

Gas flaring is the burning of natural gas that isassociated with crude oil when it is pumped up from theground. In petroleum-producing areas where insufficientinvestment was made in infrastructure to utilizenatural gas, flaring is employed to dispose of thisassociated gas ( JINN, Gas Flaring in Nigeria: anOverview, Justice in Nigeria Now. April 2010.). Alsochemical factories, oil refineries, oil wells, rigs and

7

landfills, gaseous waste products and sometimes evennon-waste gases produced are routed to an elevatedvertical chimney called a gas flare and burnt off atits tip, This is called gas flaring. Waste gases aresubjected to such a process either because the gasesare waste or it is difficult to store and transportthem. Non-waste gases are burnt off to protect theprocessing equipment when unexpected high pressuredevelops within them. Gas flaring in oil rigs and wellscontribute significantly to greenhouse gases in ouratmosphere (Ayoola, T. J,. “Gas flaring and itsimplication for environmental accounting in Nigeria,”Journal of Sustainable Development. )

1.1 Flaring in Nigeria

Nigeria flares 17.2 billion m3 of natural gas per yearin conjunction with the exploration of crude oil in theNiger Delta. This high level of gas flaring is equal toapproximately one quarter of the current powerconsumption of the African continent. Even though wehave grown to be fairly dependent on oil and it hasbecome the center of current industrial development andeconomic activities, we rarely consider how oilexploration and exploitation processes createenvironmental, health, and social problems in localcommunities near oil producing fields.

The Nigerian government has not enforced environmentalregulations effectively because of the overlapping andconflicting jurisdiction of separate governmentalagencies governing petroleum and the environment as

8

well as because of non-transparent governancemechanisms. Neither the Federal EnvironmentalProtection Agency (FEPA) nor the Department ofPetroleum Resources (DPR) has implemented anti-flaringpolicies for natural gas waste from oil production, norhave they monitored the emissions to ensure compliance.The Federal Environmental Protection Agency (FEPA) hashad the authority to issue standards for water, air andland pollution and has had the authority to makeregulations for oil industry. However, in some casestheir regulations conflict with the Department ofPetroleum Resources (DPR)’s regulations started in 1991for oil exploration.From an economic perspective, theNigerian government’s main interest in the oil industryis to maximize its monetary profits from oilproduction. Oil companies find it more economicallyexpedient to flare the natural gas and pay theinsignificant fine than to re-inject the gas back intothe oil wells. Additionally, because there is aninsufficient energy market especially in rural areas,oil companies do not see an economic incentive tocollect the gas. From a social perspective, the oil-producing communities have experienced severemarginalization and neglect. The environment and humanhealth have frequently been a secondary considerationfor oil companies and the Nigerian government. However,although there may be reasons for the continuous gasflaring, there are many strong arguments suggestingthat it should be stopped. Corporations’ accountabilityto the people and environment surrounding them implythat oil companies should be required to re-inject thegas, to recover it, or to shut down any extractionfacilities in which the gas flaring is occurring.

9

Because of this massive oil exploration in the NigerDelta, the ramifications for human health, localculture, indigenous self-determination, and theenvironment are severe. As is the case in most oilproducing regions of less developed countries, theeconomic and political benefits are given significantlymore weight by the government than the resulting damageto the environment and human health.

The atmosphere flared gas releases pollutants like (C),Nitrogen dioxide NO2 sulphur dioxide SO2 and lead Pbinto the atmosphere (Okoh 2000). This associated gas, abyproduct of the countries lifeline petroleumexploration activities is separated from the oil atflow station and more than 95% of it is flared. Themain components of flared gases include carbon dioxidenitrous oxide water vapor and sulphur oxide. The lowcombustion of Nigeria flare stack (60-80) results in alarge portion of the gas emitted being methane has ahigher global warming potential (sawaragi and Akashi1978).the role of methane in global atmospheric changeshas receive increasing attention recently (Yusuf andOyewunmi 200). Although the actual emission isestimated with a greater deal of uncertainty, yetmethane has a global warming potential up to that ofcarbon dioxide (depending on the time horizon)and theaccounts for about 15% of the global warming due to

10

anthropogenic emissions (brown and maunder 1994)asshown elow

1.2 TABLE 1;

Green house gases emission

GHG PERCENTAGE (%)

CO2 55

CFC 24

CH4 15

NO2 6

CHAPTER TWO

2.0 GAS FLARE

Flaring is a high-temperature oxidation process used toburn combustible components, mostly hydrocarbons, ofwaste gases from industrial operations. Natural gas,propane, ethylene, propylene, butadiene and butaneconstitute over 95 percent of the waste gases flared.In combustion, gaseous hydrocarbons react withatmospheric oxygen to form carbon dioxide (CO2) andwater. In some waste gases, carbon monoxide (CO) is the

11

major combustible component. Presented below, as anexample, is the combustion reaction of propane.

C3H8 + 5O2 > 3CO2 + 4H2O

During a combustion reaction, several intermediateproducts are formed, and eventually, most are convertedto CO2 and water. Some quantities of stable intermediateproducts such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen, andhydrocarbons will escape as emissions.

2.1 WHY FLARE GASES?

Flares are used extensively to dispose of;

(1) Purged and wasted products from refineries.

(2) Unrecoverable gases emerging with oil from oilwells.

(3) Vented gases from blast furnaces.

(4) Unused gases from coke ovens.

(5) Gaseous wastes from chemical industries.

It can also be used in the following ways

During well production testing after drilling is completedAftera shale oil/gas well is drilled and hydraulicallyfractured, a temporary flare is used during wellproduction testing. Testing is important in orderto determine the pressure, flow and composition ofthe gas or oil from ewell. Flaring at the well sitecan last for several days or weeks, until the flow

12

of liquids and gas from the well and pressures arestabilized.

For safety and during emergencies and maintenance A flareis an important safety device, particularly at gasprocessing plants. In an emergency situation whereequipment or piping becomes over-pressured, specialvalves on the equipment automatically release gasthrough piping to flare stacks. In the absence ofsafety flares, plants would be at higher risk forfires and explosions. Flares are also used as anoutlet for gas during maintenance and equipmentrepairs. In these scenarios, the flare is operatedtemporarily until the emergency situation isresolved, or until maintenance activities have beencompleted.

For managing gas during compression and processing Flare gassystems are used to manage small volumes of waste gasthat cannot be efficiently captured and returned to thesystem for processing. For example, some natural gascompressor stations have small dehydrator units thatremove water from the gas stream before it enters thepipeline system. There may be a small flare at thecompressor station to burn off gas vapors captured bythe dehydrator unit. These flares are typically smalland not visible off site. Gases flared fromrefineries, petroleum production, chemical industries,and to some extent, from coke ovens, are composedlargely of low molecular weight hydrocarbons with highheating value. Blast furnace flare gases are largely ofinert species and CO, with low heating value. Flares

13

are also used for burning waste gases generated bysewage digesters, coal gasification, rocket enginetesting, nuclear power plants with sodium/water heatexchangers, heavy water plants, and ammonia fertilizerplants.

There are two types of flares;

1. Elevated flares

2. Ground flares.

2.2 ELEVATED FLARES

This is the more common type, it has larger capacitiesthan ground flares. In elevated flares, a waste gasstream is fed through a stack anywhere from 10 to over100 meters tall and is combusted at the tip of thestack. The flame is exposed to atmospheric disturbancessuch as wind and precipitation.

2.3 GROUND FLARES

Combustion takes place at ground level. Ground flaresvary in complexity, and they may consist either ofconventional flare burners discharging horizontallywith no enclosures or of multiple burners inrefractory-lined steel enclosures.

14

The typical flare system consists of;

(1) A gas collection header and piping for collectinggases from processing units.

(2) A knockout drum (disentrainment drum) to remove andstore condensable and entrained liquids.

(3)A proprietary seal, water seal, or purge gas supplyto prevent flash-back.

(4) A single- or multiple-burner unit and a flarestack.

(5) Gas pilots and an igniter to ignite the mixture

Of waste gas and air , if required.

(6) A provision for external momentum force (steaminjection or forced air) for smokelessflaring.

Natural gas, fuel gas, inert gas, or nitrogen can beused as purge gas.

Figure is a diagram of a typical steam-assistedelevated smokeless flare system.

15

Complete combustion requires sufficient combustion airand proper mixing of air and waste gas. Smoking mayresult from combustion, depending upon waste gascomponents and the quantity and distribution ofcombustion air. Waste gases containing methane,hydrogen, CO, and ammonia usually burn without smoke.Waste gases containing heavy hydrocarbons such asparaffin above methane, olefins, and aromatics, causesmoke. An external momentum force, such as steaminjection or blowing air, is used for efficientair/waste gas mixing and turbulence, which promotessmokeless flaring of heavy hydrocarbon waste gas. Otherexternal forces may be used for this purpose, includingwater spray, high velocity vortex action, or naturalgas. External momentum force is rarely required inground flares. Steam injection is accomplished eitherby nozzles on an external ring around the top of theflare tip or by a single nozzle located concentricallywithin the tip. At installations where waste gas flowvaries, both are used. The internal nozzle providessteam at low waste gas flow rates, and the externaljets are used with large waste gas flow rates. Severalother special-purpose flare tips are commerciallyavailable, one of which is for injecting both steam andair. Typical steam usage ratio varies from 7:1 to 2:1,by weight. Waste gases to be flared must have a fuelvalue of at least 7500 to 9300 kilojoules per cubicmeter kJ/m3 (200 to 250 British thermal units per cubic

16

foot [Btu/ft3]) for complete combustion; otherwise fuelmust be added. Flares providing supplemental fuel towaste gas are known as fired, or endothermic, flares.In some cases, even flaring waste gases having thenecessary heat content will also require supplementalheat. If fuel-bound nitrogen is present, flaringammonia with a heating value of 13, 600 kJ / m3 (365Btu / ft3) will require higher heat to minimizenitrogen oxides (NOx ) formation. At many locations,flares normally used to dispose of low-volumecontinuous emissions are designed to handle largequantities of waste gases that may be intermittentlygenerated during plant emergencies. Flare gas volumescan vary from a few cubic meters per hour duringregular operations up to several thousand cubic metersper hour during major upsets. Flow rates at a refinerycould be from 45 to 90 kilograms per hour (kg/hr) (100- 200 pounds per hour [lb/hr]) for relief valve leakagebut could reach a full plant emergency rate of 700 megagrams per hour (Mg/hr) (750 tons/hr). Normal processblow downs may release 450 to 900 kg/hr (1000 - 2000lb/hr), and unit maintenance or minor failures mayrelease 25 to 35 Mg/hr (27 - 39 tons/hr). A 40molecular weight gas typically of 0.012 cubicnanometers per second (nm3/s) (25 standard cubic feetper minute [scfm]) may rise to as high as 115 nm3/s(241,000 scfm). The required flare turndown ratio forthis typical case is over 15,000 to 1. Many flare

17

systems have 2 flares, in parallel or in series. In theformer, 1 flare can be shut down for maintenance whilethe other serves the system. In systems of flares inseries, 1 flare, usually a low-level ground flare, isintended to handle regular gas volumes, and the other,an elevated flare, to handle excess gas flows fromemergencies.

2.4 Emissions

Noise and heat are the most apparent undesirableeffects of flare operation. Flares are usually locatedaway from populated areas or are sufficiently isolated,thus minimizing their effects on populations. Emissionsfrom flaring include carbon particles (soot), unburnedhydrocarbons, CO, and other partially burned andaltered hydrocarbons. Also emitted are NOx and, ifsulfur-containing material such as hydrogen sulfide ormercaptans is flared, sulfur dioxide (SO2). Thequantities of hydrocarbon emissions generated relate tothe degree of combustion. The degree of combustiondepends largely on the rate and extent of fuel-airmixing and on the flame temperatures achieved andmaintained. Properly operated flares achieve at least98 percent combustion efficiency in the flare plume,meaning that hydrocarbon and CO emissions amount toless than 2 percent of hydrocarbons in the gas stream.The tendency of a fuel to smoke or make soot isinfluenced by fuel characteristics and by the amount

18

and distribution of oxygen in the combustion zone. Forcomplete combustion, at least the stoichiometric amountof oxygen must be provided in the combustion zone. Thetheoretical amount of oxygen required increases withthe molecular weight of the gas burned. The oxygensupplied as air ranges from 9.6 units of air per unitof methane to 38.3 units of air per unit of pentane, byvolume. Air is supplied to the flame as primary air andsecondary air. Primary air is mixed with the gas beforecombustion, whereas secondary air is drawn into theflame. For smokeless combustion, sufficient primary airmust be supplied, this varying from about 20 percent ofstoichiometric air for paraffin to about 30 percent foran olefin. If the amount of primary air isinsufficient, the gases entering the base of the flameare preheated by the combustion zone, and largerhydrocarbon molecules crack to form hydrogen,unsaturated hydrocarbons, and carbon. The carbonparticles may escape further combustion and cool downto form soot or smoke. Olefins and other unsaturatedhydrocarbons may polymerize to form larger moleculeswhich crack, in turn forming more carbon. The fuelcharacteristics influencing soot formation include thecarbon-to-hydrogen (C-to-H) ratio and the molecularstructure of the gases to be burned. All hydrocarbonsabove methane, i. e., those with a C-to-H ratio ofgreater than 0.33, tend to soot. Branched chainparaffin smoke more readily than corresponding normal

19

isomers. The more highly branched the paraffin, thegreater the tendency to smoke. Unsaturated hydrocarbonstend more toward soot formation than do saturated ones.Soot is eliminated by adding steam or air; hence, mostindustrial flares are steam-assisted and some are air-assisted. Flare gas composition is a critical factor indetermining the amount of steam necessary. Since flaresdo not lend themselves to conventional emission testingtechniques, only a few attempts have been made tocharacterize flare emissions. Recent EPA tests usingpropylene as flare gas indicated that efficiencies of98 percent can be achieved when burning an off gas withat least 11,200 k J / m3 (300 Btu / ft3). The testsconducted on steam-assisted flares at velocities as lowas 39.6 meters per minute (m/min) (130 ft/min) to 1140m/min (3750 ft/min), and on air-assisted flares atvelocities of 180 m/min (617 ft/min) to 3960 m/min(13,087 ft/min) indicated that variations in incominggas flow rates have no effect on the combustionefficiency. Flare gases with less than 16,770 k J/ m3(450 Btu/ft3) do not smoke.

Table presents flare emission factors, and Tablepresents emission composition data obtained from theEPA tests.

NOTE

1. Crude propylene was used as flare gas during thetests. Methane was a major fraction of hydrocarbons in

20

the flare emissions, and acetylene was the dominantintermediate hydrocarbon species. Many other reports onflares indicate that acetylene is always formed as astable intermediate product. The acetylene formed inthe combustion reactions may react further withhydrocarbon radicals to form polyacetylenes followed bypolycyclic hydrocarbons.

2. In flaring waste gases containing no nitrogencompounds, NO is formed either by the fixation ofatmospheric nitrogen (N) with oxygen (O) or by thereaction between the hydrocarbon radicals present inthe combustion products and atmospheric nitrogen, byway of the intermediate stages, HCN, CN, and OCN.2Sulfur compounds contained in a flare gas stream areconverted to SO2 when burned. The amount of SO2 emitteddepends directly on the quantity of sulfur in theflared gases.

(English Units).

2.5 EMISSION FACTORS FOR FLARE OPERATIONS

EMISSION FACTOR RATING: B

COMPONENTS EMISSION FACTOR(lb/106Btu)

Total hydrocarbon b 0.14

Carbon monoxide 0.37

Nitrogen oxide 0.068

21

Soot c 0-274

HYDROCARBON COMPOSITION OF FLARE EMISSION

COMPOSITION VOLUME%

AVERAGE RANGE

Methane 5514-83

Ethane/Ethylene 81-14

Acetylene 50.3-23

Propane 70-16

Propylene 251-65

2.6 What can sometimes be seen or heard in instances offlaring?

A flame or a glow;

Members of the public may become concerned when theysee flaring and mistake them for fires. The elevatedflare presents itself as a flame. The ground flares is

22

not visible in the day, at night, it may cast an orangeglow in the night sky, depending on cloud cover.

Smoke;

Sometimes, a white cloud may be observed around theflare. It is actually stream that is injected into theflare system to support clean combustion. While we tryto achieve smokeless flaring, it may not always bepossible during operational situations. On someoccasions there may be black smoke from the flare. Thesmoke which is mainly made up of carbon particlesoccurs when there is insufficient amount of air tosupport a complete combustion. This may happen whenthere is a sudden release of excess gas to the systemwith a delay in Response before sufficient steam can besupplied to the burning process. Steam is usually addedto the gases to increase turbulence in the gas flow.This increases the air intake that helps to achievecomplete combustion and smokeless flaring.

Noise

Flaring may produce a rumbling noise. It may sound likethunder. This is due to the turbulent mixing of gases,air and steam. The sound is similar to what you hearwhen you fan a campfire and oxygen is mixed with theflame.

2.7 Impacts of Gas Flaring23

The impacts of gas flaring are glaring and the Nigerianoil industry Joint Venture partners cannot claim to beignorant of it.

2.7.1 Environmental Implications

2.7.2 Climate Change

Gas flaring contributes to climate change, which hasserious implications for both Nigeria and the rest ofthe world. The burning of fossil fuel, mainly coal, oiland gas-greenhouse gases-has led to warming up theworld and is projected to get much, much worse duringthe course of the 21st century according to theintergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC). Thisscientific body was set up in 1988 by the UN and theWorld Meteorological Organization to consider climatechange. Climate change is particularly serious fordeveloping countries, and Africa as a continent isregarded as highly vulnerable with limited ability toadapt. Gas flaring contributes to climate change byemission of carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas.Venting of the gas without burning, a practice forwhich flaring seems often to be treated as a synononym,releases methane, the second main greenhouse gas.Together and crudely, these gases make up about 80% ofglobal warming to date.

2.7.3 Acid Rain

24

Acid rains have been linked to the activities of gasflaring (FOE (Friends of the Earth), Gas flaring inNigeria, 2004. [E-book]). Corrugated roofs in the Deltaregion have been corroded by the composition of therain that falls as a result of flaring. The primarycauses of acid rain are emissions of sulphur dioxide(SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NO) which combine withatmospheric moisture to form sulfuric acid and nitricacid respectively. Size and environmental philosophy inthe industry have very strong positive impact on thegas-flaring-related CO2 emission.

Acid rain acidifies lakes and streams and damagesvegetation. In addition, acid rain accelerates thedecay of building materials and paints. Prior tofalling to the earth, SO2 and NO2 gases and theirparticulate matter derivatives, sulfates and nitrates,contribute to visibility degradation and harm publichealth.

2.7.4 Agriculture

The flares associated with gas flaring give rise toatmospheric contaminants. These include oxides ofNitrogen, Carbon and Sulphur (NO2, CO2, CO, SO2),particulate matter, hydrocarbons and ash, photochemicaloxidants, and hydrogen sulphide (H2S)

( Obioh , I. B,.”Environmental Impact Assessment ofEmissions from Major Facilities at QIT,” AtmosphericEmissions and Dispersion Modeling. Faithlink ConsultsNigeria Ltd., PortHarcourt. 1999.

25

Kindzierski, W.D, “Importance of human environmentalexposure to hazardous air pollutants from gas flares,”Environmental Reviews, 8, 41-62, 2000)

These contaminants acidify the soil, hence depletingsoil nutrient. Previous studies have shown that thenutritional value of crops within such vicinity arereduced (Imevbore, A. A. and Adeyemi, S. A,.”Environmental monitoring in relation to pollution andcontrol of oil pollution.” Seminar on the petroleumindustry and the Nigerian environment. 6. 135-142.1981. ) . In some cases, there is no vegetation in theareas surrounding the flare due partly to thetremendous heat that is produced and acid nature ofsoil pH (Ubani, E. C. and Onyejekwe, I. M,.“Environmental impact analysis of gas flaring in theNiger delta region of Nigeria,” American J. ofScientific and Industrial Research. 4(2). 246-252.2013.).The effects of the changes in temperature on cropsincluded stunted growth, scotched plants and such othereffects as withered young crops1 (O rimoogunje, O. I., Ayanlade, A., Akinkuolie, T. A. and Odiong, A. U,.“Perception on the effect of gas flaring on theenvironment,” Research Journal of Environmental andEarth Sciences. 2(4). 188-193. 2010 ) . concluded thatthe soils of the study area are fast losing theirfertility and capacity for sustainable agriculture dueto the acidification of the soils by the variouspollutants associated with gas flaring in the area.

2.7.5. Health Implications

26

The health impacts of air pollution spreads across awide area, and those who rely on locally produced food- whether from their own production or bought at market- risk contamination. At the global scale, theemissions of carbon dioxide and methane from Nigeria’sflares make a substantial contribution to

Climate change and the costs will mainly fall mostheavily on the poor. Gas flaring has been a huge baragainst efforts at the human capital development of theNiger Delta through disease and related impacts. Lifeexpectancy in the Niger Delta is markedly lower thanwhat obtains elsewhere in Nigeria. It stands at about40 years on the average. This is not surprising becauseof the toxic elements (including benzene) beingreleased regularly into the atmosphere. Diseasesrelated to gas flaring include asthma, bronchitis,cancers, blood disorders and skin diseases. Obviouslybuilding a health centre in a village while poisoningthe inhabitants is an evil joke of grotesqueproportions.

2.7.8 Other Adverse Effects

The implication of gas flaring on human health are allrelated to the exposure of those hazardous airpollutants emitted during incomplete combustion of gasflare. These pollutants are associated with a varietyof adverse health impacts, including cancer,neurological, reproductive and developmental effects.

27

Deformities in children, lung damage and skin problemshave also been reported (Ovuakporaye, S. I., Aloamaka,C. P., Ojieh, A. E., Ejebe, D. E. and Mordi, J. C,.“Effects of gas flaring on lung function amongresidents of ib Gas flaring community in Delta State,Nigeria,” Res. J. Env. Earth Sci. 4(5). 525-528.2012. ).

2.7.9 Haematological Effects

Hydrocarbon compounds are known to cause some adversechanges in hematological parameters. These changesaffect blood and blood-forming cells negatively. Andcould give rise to anemia ( aplastic), pancytopenia andleukemia (Kindzierski, W.D, “Importance of humanenvironmental exposure to hazardous air pollutants fromgas flares,” Environmental Reviews, 8, 41-62, 2000.)

2.7.10 Other Effects

2.7.11. Economic LossAside from the health and environmental consequences ofgas flaring, the nation also loses billions of dollarsworth of gas which is literally burnt off daily in theatmosphere. Much of this can be converted for domesticuse and for electricity generation. By so doing thelevel of electricity generation in the country could beraised to meet national demand. Nigeria has recorded ahuge revenue loss due to gas flaring and oil spillage(

Effiong, S. A. and Etowa, U. E,. “Oil spillage cost,gas flaring cost and life expectancy rate of the NigerDelta people of Nigeria,” Advances in Management &

28

Applied Economics. 2(2). 211-228. 2012.). Though more than 65 % of governmental revenue isfrom oil (Arowolo, A. A. and Adaja, I. J,. “Trends ofnatural gas exploitation in Nigeria and theimplications on the socio-economic stability andgovernance,” in 35th Nigerian Statistical Associationannual conference. 2011), it is estimated that about$2.5 billion is lost annually through gas flaring ingovernment revenues. Apart from the release ofgreenhouse gases into the atmosphere, gas flares aresaid to release some 45.8 billion kilowatts of heat areinto the atmosphere of the Niger Delta from gas flareddaily. As a result of this incineration of theenvironment, gas flaring has raised temperatures andrendered large areas uninhabitable. When nitrous andsulphur oxides from the flares mix with atmosphericmoisture the result is acid rain. Acid rains wreakhavoc on the environment – destroying crops, roofs andimpacting human health. Continued degradation in theform of spills and gas flares render the Niger Deltaextremely vulnerable to the impacts of climate changewith a projected loss of 50% ability to produce cerealsby the year 2020 that would rise to 80% loss by 2050.17This is worse than any armed conflict. It is common tosee women in drying kpokpo garri and fish at flaresites, bearing the searing heat and reaping a benefitof snacks dried by the infernal flames. The oilcorporations may count this as an economic benefit to

29

the people but the truth is that the products of theseprocesses, the kpokpo garri and the dried fish are allpoisoned and harmful to human health. It is amazingthat neither the corporations nor the state have deemedit fit to halt the practice of processing food items inthe heat of the toxic flames. This is not communitydevelopment and there is no rational explanation forthis assault on the health of the people. Thisdestructive activity must be halted. Government owesthe people a duty to assist in the provision of safedryers that could easily be solar owered.

2.7.12 Pollution

Drilling mud and oil sometimes find their way to thestreams, surface waters and land thus making them unfitfor consumption nor habitable by man or animal. Thisproblem has been produced by a range of internationaloil companies which have been in operation for overfour decades. The economic and environmentalramifications of this high level of gas flaring areserious because this process is a significant waste of

30

potential fuel which is simultaneously polluting water,air, and soil in the Niger Delta.

2.7.13 Climate Change

Gas flaring releases greenhouse gases including carbondioxide and methane into the atmosphere. Of these two,methane is actually more harmful than carbon dioxide.It is also more prevalent in flares that burn at lowerefficiency. Those less efficient flares tend to havemore moisture and particles in them that reflect heatand are said to have similar effect on the ozone layerlike aerosols do. These are more harmful than moreflares that burn more efficiently. In such flares theproduced methane gets converted into carbon dioxide. Ona casual observation of the flares in the Niger Deltaone sees that they are sooty and are evidently burn atlow efficiency. Generally, climate change impacts aremore pronounced on low-lying coastal areas such as theNiger Delta. These areas are prone to freak weatherevents, flooding, and coastal erosion and are the firstto be affected by sea level rise. Due to raisedtemperatures, climate change favors proliferation ofpests and spread of diseases. As mentioned earlier,they also seriously affect agricultural productivity.

31

Having these climate change aiding gas flares locatedin the Niger Delta, one of the most vulnerable parts ofNigeria, is indeed a double tragedy. We note that sinceChad joined the ranks of oil states it has provided themissing layer to complete the sandwich that Nigeria hasbecome: gas flares in the south and now gas flares fromthe oil fields of Chad to north. With these greenhouses gases being released from Chad and the oldtimers from the Niger Delta, it is readily seen thatdesertification will become even more threatening.Actions must be taken for the protection of ourenvironment, tackling climate change and for thesurvival of our peoples

32

3.0 CONCLUSION

Gas is being increasingly seen as a viable source ofenergy to speed up developmental needs in Africa. InNigeria, while gas is wasted through the air, creatingharmful air pollutants, biomass is still the mainstayof cooking and other heating (ERA/FOE Nigeria(Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the EarthNigeria), Gas Flaring in Nigeria: Human RightsEnvironmental and Economic Monstrosity.2005. Retrievedfrom:http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/gas_flaring_nigeria Accessed February 10, 2008].) As a matter of fact,the natural gas currently flared in Nigeria can servethecooking needs of 320 million people not served bymodern fuels.

Petroleum exploitation and production in the NigerDelta over the years have resulted in a number ofenvironmental, socio-economic and political problems in

33

the region. Oil spillage and gas flaring have causedsevere environmental damages, loss of plants, animalsand human lives, and loss of revenue to both the oilproducing companies and the government. Petroleumexploration, exploitation, production, storage,distribution and transportation activities affect theenvironment in a conspicuously negative manner.Vegetations are removed to make way for seismic linesand sites. Storage, distribution and transportation ofoil and gas using Tankers and pipeline network resultin some quantities of petroleum products being releasedinto the environment.

Oil exploration causes a range of environmentalproblems. These include: contamination of both surfaceand ground water by benzene, xylene, toluene, andethylbenzene; contamination of soil by oil spill andleaks; increased deforestation; as well as the economicloss and environmental degradation stemming from gasflaring. In order to address the problems of gasflaring, it is necessary to understand why the naturalgas is being flared. Because oil and natural gas aremixed in every oil deposit, the natural gas called“associated gas” (AG) must be removed from oil beforerefining. Gas flaring is simply the burning of thisassociated gas. Gas flaring is currently illegal inmost countries of the world, where gas flaring may onlyoccur in certain circumstances such as emergencyshutdowns, non-planned maintenance, or disruption tothe processing system.

Though the draft Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB)stipulates that "natural gas shall not be flared or

34

vented after 31st December, 2012, in any oil and gasproduction operation, block or field, onshore oroffshore, or gas facility, except under exceptional andtemporary circumstances", this draft is yet to bepassed into law. Legislative backing and governmentalbureaucracy still remains a stumbling block

3.1 The Way Forward: some recommendations

1. The colonial government could not defend gasflaring. Today’s Government cannot defend it. There isa subsisting judgment against, Shell and the Nigeriangovernment, given by the High Court in Benin City, 14November 2005 declaring gas flaring at Iwerekhan anillegal activity and an affront to human rights of thepeople. That judgment has not been voided, but neitherthe state nor Shell has deemed it fit to put an end tothe flaring. That judgment must be obeyed, otherwisewhere is the rule of law here?

2. The government must understand that the human andother costs of gas flaring cannot be equated to eventhe highest revenue brought in by the sale of crudeoil. The so-called fines are accounted for as part ofproduction cost of oil and are more or less paid for bythe Nigerian state. They are no incentive for thecorporations to stop the harmful practice. Halting gasflaring is a major step that government must take toshow any seriousness to address the issue of the NigerDelta and to show acceptable global citizenship.Continued gas flaring is a complete negation of efforts

35

being made in the world today to curb global warming.It is also a slight on efforts to halt conflicts in theNiger Delta as well as giving the people a chance torecover their highly curtailed means of livelihood. Gasflaring should be seen as violent action against thepeople.

3. When corporations are told they must end thisshameful act, we find that they often say cynicallythat the only way zero flaring could be achieved insome locations would be by shutting down production.The truth is that indeed that is the best option:leaving the oil in the ground. Doing this is indeed asimple, cost effective solution. It would help us torecover from the dizzying spins that crude oil hasthrown us into; it would give us time for soberreflection. It would keep the carbon in the ground andthere help rebuild a broken world. It would place a newdemand on our political leadership and resourcemanagers would also be seriously involved in wealthcreation. Leaving the oil in the ground would indeedhelp us see that the future of this great nation is nottied to crude.

4. Steps should be taken to measure the air quality inthe gas flare communities and disseminate suchinformation.

5. Facilities for processing agricultural products suchas kpokpo garri and fish should be made available for

36

local communities and the practice of drying these attoxic flare sites should be halted forthwith.

6. Government should be bold to review the jointventure agreements entered into in the oil sector tomake for a fairer deal for Nigeria and clear allocationof responsibilities

7.These difficulties faced by local communities fromgas flares are a sufficient justification for endinggas flaring practice. Government should as a matter ofurgency, make stringent laws and take drastic actionagainst defaulting companies not just by payment offines. Fines for defaulting companies should be soexorbitant so as to deter them. Furthermore, the gascon be processed and produced into cooking/domesticgas. Environmentalists and human right activists shouldcontinue in their quest to end this act.

. Fifty years of destructive exploitation is enoughfrom the flare stack.

37

REFERENCE

Uyigue ,Etiosa and Agho, Matthew, Coping with Climate Change and Environmental Degradation in theNiger Delta of Southern Nigeria, CREDC, 2007

International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis. Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture –

The Challenges of Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa. At a side even of CSD16 at the UN, 8 May 2008

Bassey, Nnimmo, The Oil Industry and Human Rights in the NigerDelta, paper at National Environmental Summit, Abuja, 20-21 October 2008.

Nwachukwu, Clara, Gas flaring: Oil majors seek extension of deadline to 2010, The Punch, Lagos, Wednesday 14 November 2007 http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art2007111444296

Eboh Camillus, Oil firms resist Nigerian fines for gas flaring Tuesday December 4, 2007 http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL0486900120071204

38

GAS Global Gas Flaring Reduction Initiative: ReportNo.3: Regulation of Associated Gas Flaring and Venting – a Global Overview and Lessons (World Bank, March 2004),

Flare Efficiency Study, EPA-600/2-83-052, U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, OH, July 1983.

K. D. Siegel, Degree Of Conversion Of Flare Gas In Refinery High Flares, Dissertation, University of Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany, February 1980.

Manual On Disposal Of Refinery Wastes, Volume On Atmospheric Emissions, API Publication 931, American Petroleum Institute, Washington, DC, June 1977.

JINN, Gas Flaring in Nigeria: an Overview, Justice in Nigeria Now. April 2010. Available www.justiceinnigerianow.org.

Ayoola, T. J,. “Gas flaring and its implication forenvironmental accounting in Nigeria,” Journal of Sustainable Development. 4(5). 244-250. 2011.

Manby, B,. 1999. The price of oil: corporate responsibility and human rights violations in Nigeria's oil producing communities. Human Rights Watch, New York. 1999. 202.

39

FOE (Friends of the Earth), Gas flaring in Nigeria,2004. [E-book] Available: http://www.foe.co.uk.

Medilinkz, Nigeria: Focus on the environmental impact of gas flaring, 2010. Retrieved from: http://www.medilinkz.org/news/news2.asp?NewsID=294 [Accessed on June5, 2010].

Hassan, A. and Konhy, R,. “Gas flaring in Nigeria: Analysis of changes in its consequent carbon emission and reporting,” Accounting Forum. 37(2). 124-134. 2013.

Obioh, I. B,.”Environmental Impact Assessment of Emissions from Major Facilities at QIT,” Atmospheric Emissions and Dispersion Modeling. Faithlink Consults Nigeria Ltd., PortHarcourt. 1999.

Kindzierski, W.D, “Importance of human environmental exposure to hazardous air pollutants from gas flares,” Environmental Reviews, 8, 41-62, 2000.

Imevbore, A. A. and Adeyemi, S. A,. ”Environmental

40

monitoring in relation to pollution and control of oil pollution.” Seminar on the petroleum industry and the Nigerian environment. 6. 135-142. 1981.

Ubani, E. C. and Onyejekwe, I. M,. “Environmental impact analysis of gas flaring in the Niger delta region of Nigeria,” American J. of Scientific and Industrial Research. 4(2). 246-252.2013.

Orimoogunje, O. I., Ayanlade, A., Akinkuolie, T. A.and Odiong, A. U,. “Perception on the effect of gasflaring on the environment,” Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences. 2(4). 188-193. 2010.

Ovuakporaye, S. I., Aloamaka, C. P., Ojieh, A. E., Ejebe, D. E. and Mordi, J. C,. “Effects of gas flaring on lung function among residents of ib Gas flaring community in Delta State, Nigeria,” Res. J.Env. Earth Sci. 4(5). 525-528. 2012.

Effiong, S. A. and Etowa, U. E,. “Oil spillage cost, gas flaring cost and life expectancy rate of the Niger Delta people of Nigeria,” Advances in Management & Applied Economics. 2(2). 211-228. 2012.

41

Arowolo, A. A. and Adaja, I. J,. “Trends of naturalgas exploitation in Nigeria and the implications onthe socio-economic stability and governance,” in 35th Nigerian Statistical Association annual conference. 2011.

ERA/FOE Nigeria (Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria), Gas Flaring in Nigeria: Human Rights Environmental and EconomicMonstrosity.2005. Retrieved from: http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/reports/gas_flaring_nigeria [Accessed February 10, 2008].

Goldenberg, J, Rural Energy in Developing Countries. In: World Energy Assessment: Energy and the Challenge of Sustainabiliy. UNDP. NY. 2000.

Tolupe, A. O,. “Oil exploration and environmental degradation: the Nigeria experience,” Internationalsociety for Environmental Information Science. 4(4). 34-36. 2004.

42