Environmental, health and safety assessment of nanoparticle application in drilling mud – review

Martin, C; Nourian, A; Babaie, M; Nasr, GG

Abstract

The rapid increase in the use of engineered nanoparticles in different industrial applications
makes risk assessment on human health, ecosystem and the environment necessary. Health,
safety and environmental (HSE) risks of a technology are an inseparable part of which it
threatens all exposed employees. There has been an increase and public interest in
nanotechnology because of its applications in several areas including, processing and
engineering industries e.g., oil and gas, electronics, cosmetic, biomedical, agriculture, medicine
and public health. The increased use of nanomaterials in various sectors has raised concerns
about their impact on health and safety, as well as the environment. As nanomaterials become
commonly and widely used in every sector, environmental and personal exposure to
nanomaterials is therefore unavoidable and this has led researchers to gain interest in
nanotoxicity. Based on this, this paper reviews the application of nanotechnology in drilling
engineering, with a focus on drilling fluids and environmental concerns regarding their disposal
after use. Meanwhile, combined with the risks of nanotechnology toxicity to both humans, the
ecosystem and the environment, this paper expounds the challenges of nanotechnology in oil
and gas, the cost of nanoparticle mud fluids, fate and behaviour of nanoparticles, and then puts
forward future recommendations for safe disposal of ENPs in drilling fluids and other industrial
applications.

Citation

Martin, C., Nourian, A., Babaie, M., & Nasr, G. (in press). Environmental, health and safety assessment of nanoparticle application in drilling mud – review. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, 226, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211767

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 1, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Apr 5, 2023
• Deposit Date: Apr 4, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 6, 2025
• Journal: Geoenergy Science and Engineering
• Print ISSN: 0920-4105
• Electronic ISSN: 1873-4715
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Volume: 226
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211767
• Publisher URL: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoen.2023.211767