A project by a former student of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Imo state, Uzoma JohnPaul Ajugwe, has made a breakthrough on new method of crude oil drilling that is safe and environmental friendly and has earned its publication in the prestigious American Journal of Engineering Research.

The research project is titled “Development of Environmentally Friendly Oil Based Mud Using Almond Oil, Castor Oil and Groundnut Oil”.

It was co-authored by Chikwe A.O. Onuh, C.H and Nwagbo C.A all of Department of Petroleum Engineering, FUTO, Owerri.

In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Master Uzoma Ajugwe, 24, a formal student of Nigeria Navy Secondary School Port Harcourt, Rivers state who has just passed out from NYSC posting at the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources Headquarters in Abuja, stressed that the benefits of the research were numerous especially in the face of climate change.

He emphasized that with increasing environmental degradation and other harmful effects caused by using diesel oil as fluids for drilling crude oil, the project formulated technology of optimizing drilling fluids with locally available and environmentally safe plants seed oils like almond, castor and groundnut as substitute for diesel mud oil which is toxic to the habitat.

Mr. Ajugwe pointed out that the use of diesel fluids for drilling crude oil in the Niger Delta has polluted the environment. “It is life threatening to all living things in the ecosystem. Just as hazardous as dumping nuclear waste product in the creek of Niger Delta”, the young scientist reasoned.

Furthermore, when compared with Groundnut, Almond and Castor Oil Based Muds which one is more  environmentally friendly, Diesel Oil Based Mud is highly toxic to the environment.

 Therefore, it is essential to adopt these seed oils technology in drilling crude oil if Nigeria in order to meet her target of cutting carbon emissions to zero level by the year 2060 as pledged by President Muhammadu Buhari at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021, in New York,   USA.