Impact of Mellitah Oil Complex Emissions on Olive Tree Decline in Zuwara and Surrounding Areas: A Laboratory Assessment of Olive Leaves and Field Statistical Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/jf6nfs96Keywords:
Mellitah Oil Complex, Olive tree decline (Olea europaea), Industrial emissions, Air pollution, Laboratory leaf assessment, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Statistical field study.Abstract
Assessment of the Impact of Mellitah Oil and Gas Complex Emissions on Olive Tree Decline in Zuwara and Surrounding Regions: A Laboratory Olive Leaf Analysis and Statistical Field Study.
This study evaluates the environmental and physiological impacts of gaseous emissions from the Mellitah Oil and Gas Complex on olive tree (Olea europaea) foliage in Zuwara and adjacent areas. The study integrates a precise laboratory physicochemical testing of olive leaf tissue measured at 26.5°C with a statistical field survey targeting 72 local farmers and residents. Laboratory results revealed that the leaf pH remained relatively stable across sampling sites (6.51- 6.67 compared to a reference control of 6.63). Conversely, electrical conductivity (EC) of leaf extracts exhibited a significant increase in proximity to the industrial complex, peaking at 707 µS/m (Sample 1) and 629 µS/m (Sample 2) compared to 292 µS/m at the reference site, highlighting heavy foliar ionic deposition and osmotic stress. Crucially, statistical results from the field questionnaire strongly corroborated these findings with high statistical significance (P < 0.001); respondents strongly agreed on observable foliar degradation, led by leaf chlorosis and tip burn (mean = 2.88, X² = 71.25), premature leaf fall (mean = 2.81), and canopy density reduction (mean = 2.75). Farmers explicitly linked these symptoms to industrial smoke and flaring intensity (mean = 2.84), establishing a clear alignment between laboratory physicochemical metrics and field observation data.
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