ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF HEAVY METALS IN PRODUCED WATER THROUGH AZADIRACHTA INDICA (NEEM) LEAVES, NASHPA OIL AND GAS FIELD, KARAK, PAKISTAN

Abstract

Contamination of produced water vary from geological location and formation, lifespan of reservoir and the abundance of heavy metals in strata which can be treated by number of methods where adsorption being the most efficient one. The present study is focused on the assessment and treatment of heavy metals in produced water sample of Nashpa Oil and Gas Field, Karak, Pakistan. Azadirachta indica commonly known as neem leaves were used for the treatment of heavy metals. The assessment of produced water sample using Shimadzu Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer showed that Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, As and Zn were within the permissible limits set by NEQS-Pakistan and FAO except Fe, Mn and Cu. Treatment of the selected heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Cu and As) resulted in maximum removal of 99.66%, 97.20%, 32.85% and 100% for Copper, Iron, Manganese and Arsenic respectively. The statistical evaluation and graphical representation of average values were performed in Microsoft Excel software (2016). The set condition of pH 6 using 1-gram dosage with contact time of 60 minutes generated the optimum results. Thus, this study favours in the utilization of neem leaves for efficacious removal of heavy metals from produced water, which is organic, economical and eco-friendly in contrast to other treatment techniques.