APPLICATION OF GAMMA RADIATION FOR REMEDIATION OF PETROLEUM CONTAMINATION FROM SOME REFINERIES IN THE VICINITY OF SUEZ GULF

Suez Gulf has been affected by the discharged pollutants. The concentration of adsorbed poly-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aquatic sediment is an appropriate index of the status of pollutants in the marine environment. Sediment samples were collected from five sites covers 2.5 km at equal distances along the outlets of the discharge basins of some petroleum refineries in the vicinity of Suez Gulf. The concentrations of (PAHs) were determined via HPLC analysis. The concentrations in sediments in the five sites varied between 22333.983±102 and 73597.864±187 ng/g dry weights with 43016.278±149 ng/g dry weights as the average concentration. Gamma irradiation of the polluted samples were performed and compared with the non-irradiated polluted samples, the changes in the PAHs concentrations were observed. The remediation of toxic pollutants of PAHs as petroleum residues by Gamma radiation has been observed. So the influence of applied dose on the degradation of PAHs concentrations in sediment samples has been studied. The results indicate that, the concentration of PAHs in the irradiated samples of sediments ranged between 16.231±3.7 and 188.531±12.2 ng/g dry weights with 82.184±7.3 ng/g dry weights as the average concentration. Which means that the gamma radiation has a high effect on the PAHs pollution. The variation in the concentrations of the PAHs in the extracted oils with the gamma irradiation followed by HPLC analyses, is investigated