What Are The Problems With Oil Refineries?
There are many environmental issues that relate to oil refineries across the globe. The major problems that need to be addressed include pollution and safety issues that affect the environment, neighborhoods, and endangered animals. Because the refining process releases many chemicals into the air, pollution is a major concern not only for the purpose of maintaining a clean environment, but to also prevent health problems from affecting the population. Air pollution is probably the biggest concern with refineries because they release many emissions such as greenhouse gases. This causes bad odors and depletes the ozone layer. The disposal of wastewater also causes an issue, since it is contaminated and needs to be disposed of properly. This has led to many refineries establishing units that treat wastewater so that it can be reused or disposed.
Another major issue is the probability of fires and accidents. Since many refineries use hydrofluoric acid apart of the process, a possible leak of this substance into the atmosphere could be very dangerous. If released, this compound could form a toxic aerosol cloud, which can cause burns and serious respiratory problems if people are exposed to it. For example, in March 2005 at the BP Texas City Refinery, hydrofluoric acid vapors leaked and some escaped into a diesel truck’s engine air intake, which revved the engine and let off a spark, which caused an explosion that killed 19 people. One of the reasons that oil refineries are located far away from urban, highly populated areas is to prevent such occurrences from happening. Unfortunately, not all refineries are located far away from urban areas.
Corrosion is also a major issue within refineries, since it dictates when they will be cleaned as well as equipment costs. For cleaning, the whole system must be shut down which reduces the amount of time that a refinery can function, ultimately reducing its productivity. It also increases the potential for pollution which makes it a major issue amount EPA. Refering back to the catastrophe of the BP in Texas City, it is an example of the more severe effects of corrosion. Chuck Hamel, a 'watchdog' of the oil industry warned BP of its dangers, yet they did not listen. It is important for refineries to be aware of its condition.
Another issue that oil refineries present is the damage that they cause which can lead to endangered animals. There have been a few instances where crude oil has leaked into oceans due to their proximity to bodies of water, but perhaps the most catastrophic event was when the Exxon Valdez spilled in Alaska in 1989. Thousands of sea birds were killed because no one aided the situation with efforts to clean up the spill for several days. Refineries also hurt many endangered species because they take up the space in which those animals lived. A step that is being taken to prevent these damaging effects on the animals and communities is to fine the refineries that are caught; however, the chances of locating a refinery that has caused harm to the environment are very slim, and the fines are not nearly high enough to have an impact on future hazardous problems. The government has also placed restrictions on which products refineries can use and release. Unfortunately, these restrictions have possibly contributed to higher fuel prices in the United States.
Crude oil is also becoming more scare since the price of oil, which is the basis for making gasoline, is rising much higher beyond gasoline prices. Because of this, the lower gas prices are, the more that the oil refineries are suffering. This is significant because “As gas prices rose last year, refineries couldn't produce enough gasoline to meet demand. The result was substantial profits. But in 2008, even after a summer of record gasoline prices, some of the nation's refiners have seen profits drop by as much 85 percent from a year ago.” This shows the amount of trouble that refiners are currently in, and how there is a high need for a better process. Now, refineries make only, “Three to four cents” per gallon of gas. Even if gas prices were too skyrocket, it would not solve the problem since less people would then be able to afford gas.