PHYTOREMEDIATION AS UNOCAL PRO-ACTIVE EFFORT AND ENVIRONMENTAL FRIENDLY METHOD TO SUPPORT ECOLOGICAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN OIL AND GAS INDUSTRY

摘要

Remediation activities of contaminated land or soil have been increased lately due to the technology development in remediation and stakeholders' demand. One of the technologies is bioremediation which became more popular to be conducted by universities, private research centres and PSCs in Indonesia. Bioremediation is basically a remediation process of contaminated soil through micro organism activities. The microbes will use TPH (Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon) as their energy sources. Bioremediation method can be applied not just to the contaminated land or soil, but also to the solid from oily sludge. There are a lot of bioremediation types implemented in-situ or ex-situ. Indonesian Ministry of Environment recently issued new regulation no. 128 year 2003 on "Technical guidance of crude oil waste and contaminated soil with biological". Attachment Ⅱ, article Ⅳ.1 of the above regulation stated that the end point of bioremediation process should be 10.000 ppm of TPH or less. To reach even lower point or baseline, one will require great efforts because it will take longer time and increasing cost of capital and maintenance. Therefore, it is needed to have another alternative solution for better goal and enhancing environment protection. In this respect, Phytoremediation offers better solution in protecting the environment, budget and aesthetically pleasing. Phytoremediation is another remediation process of contaminated soil or land using plants and microbes to decrease level of contaminant. Certain plants will play a significant role in this pollutant decreasing activity through as Phytoextraction, Phytovolatilization, Phytodegradation and Rhizosphere degradation. According to field experience in Lawe-lawe terminal of Unocal Indonesia Company, there was decreasing of contaminant in soil from around 10.000 ppm TPH to 300 ppm TPH within 5 years. In other countries, similar successful symptoms of remediation process by Phytoremediation show the same result. Phytoremediation method can be one of the environmental friendly remediation alternate solutions with some benefits such as low capital cost and maintenance. It can be long term or permanent treatment, in-situ, applicable to variety of pollutant, and generally accepted by community with aesthetically pleasing. Many international regulatory accept this new method as a tool for Ecological Sustainable Development.