A Novel Index Approach for Estimating Soil Contamination in Oil Fields

AbstractOil pollution presents a major environmental challenge associated with oil and its derivatives, posing significant threats to contemporary society. The primary issue involves accurately identifying polluted areas, determining the most contaminated stations, and assessing the extent of pollution over time. Traditional indicators measure pollution based on individual elements, which creates ambiguity in evaluating overall pollution levels. This study introduces a novel approach that integrates all measured elements to provide a comprehensive assessment of pollution. The methodology employs the least squares method to assign weights to each element and establish a threshold limit for site evaluation. Concentrations of various pollutants were measured at 10 stations (S-1 to S-10) over 6 months (August–March 2022), with the highest levels observed for PAH (8.270), Co (3.398), PCB (1.340), Cd (3.994), As (1.851), and Se (2.046). Current methodologies (CI, PLI, mCD, IGeo, NIPI, AP, and EF) were applied to validate the new approach. The threshold limit was determined to be 14.168. Applying this approach revealed that the site exceeded the threshold limit during June, July, and August, with values of 18.074, 21.258, and 24.536, respectively, indicating significant pollution during these months. The proposed method proved effective in providing an accurate and flexible means of determining pollution levels. Future recommendations include incorporating additional elements and increasing the number of sampling stations to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the results. This comprehensive approach offers a robust framework for assessing and managing oil pollution in affected areas.