Impact of Treated Wastewater from Oil Extraction Process on Soil Physical Properties

Large quantities of water are usually produced in conjunction with oil production in Oman. Because this water is saline and heavily contaminated with oil, it is not suitable for domestic or agricultural uses. A short-duration comparative study on the effects of using treated oily-water and fresh water on soil physical properties has been performed. It was found from this study that the use of treated oily-water caused a sodicity problem, which has adverse effects on the soil physical properties of the soil such as infiltration rate, saturated hydraulic conductivity and pore size distribution. The reduction in the saturated hydraulic conductivity reached up to 43% of the initial value.