Landfarming operation of oily sludge in arid region--human health risk assessment

Landfarming is becoming one of the most preferred treatment technologies for oily sludge disposal in the Arabian Gulf region in general, and in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in particular. This technology is considered to be, economical, energy efficient, and environmentally friendly with minimal residue disposal problems. Application of this technology in the region is simply based on the studies conducted in the United States of America and Europe. There have hardly been any scientific studies conducted to evaluate performance of landfarming technology under arid conditions. Recently, detailed field experimental study has been conducted to evaluate the degradation process and health risk issues in landfarming under arid conditions. The study observed volatilization as the main process of hydrocarbon degradation, which can cause significantly high concentration of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the atmosphere leading to serious human health risk to the onsite workers. It is particularly true in the early phase of the landfarming process (first 2 months from initial loading). This paper elaborates these findings in detail.