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The article discusses how communities across Latin America respond to poverty and environmental destruction and the impact of man-made environmental hazards like pollution. Topics include the impact of contamination caused by oil refineries on health and wellbeing, the approaches of copanies like smelting business Doe Run in La Oroya, Peru to control dissent and activism, and the protests of residents of contaminated and at-risk communities against the toxic impact of petroleum industry.

The article offers information on the contradiction of the city of Esmeraldas, Ecuador to the Revolución Ciudadana or Citizens' Revolution in Ecuador, which support the oil rents distribution for citizen improvement. Topics discussed include the report "Energy Agenda 2007- 2011: Towards a Sustainable Energy System," by Alberto Acosta and Arturo Villavicencio, the Esmeraldas State Refinery (REE), and the issue on pollution, poor water quality and effects on health of the refinery.

This article links up the disastrous history of fossil fuels with the celebrated ecology of mangroves. Building on ethnographic and historical research in Puerto Rico and St. Croix, it outlines the often neglected but quite consequential place of crude oil in the Caribbean. Following the construction of what became the second largest refinery in the world, I describe how the imperial energy networks of the United States first came to the Caribbean. Troubling a popular origin story of the Caribbean, colonial and industry leaders voiced a robust critique of the plantation in order to justify the introduction of these enclave refineries. Imperial energy networks welcomed an unprecedented problem to the region: coastal oil spills. The scientific and legal response to these spills brought new attention to the vital relationality of mangroves. Rather perversely, the destruction of the mangroves in the Caribbean—in which crude oil played the leading role—opened mangroves up to new forms of knowledge and care. While many claim that fossil fuels helped cultivate a modern disregard for the natural world, I show how the negative ecologies of fossil fuels also instigated new scientific and political appreciations for the liveliness of the natural world. This story of oil in the Caribbean has implications for scholarly debates around the so-called Anthropocene. Against scholarship that looks at the coming disaster of crude oil as an epochal break in thought and politics, this paper instead describes the long history of acknowledging and managing the disastrous qualities of fossil fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kuçova region lies on Miocene and Oligocene flysch deposits. This region includes some structural units of the subzone syncline of Permetit, subzone anticline of Berati and the extreme east of the Adriatic depression. The petroleum exploration has detailed geological setting, mainly of the Messinian-Pliocene section, flysch and carbonate deposition of eroded anticline of Kuçova. The hydrographic network is represented by the Devoll river, artificial lakes in the hilly area and a dense network of canals that discharge to the river. In the region of Kuçova, there are four water bearing complexes where the main one is of Quaternary deposits. Hydrogeological interpretations of Kuçova region are based on two results: those carried out earlier and those carried on recently in the context of studies on environmental rehabilitation. Water that comes from the separation of crude oil in the separators has a high content of total dissolved solids (TDS up to 100 g/l). Surface waters and those of the Quaternary deposits are somewhat polluted by the petroleum industry and urban emissions, particularly in the area of the former petroleum refinery. The TDS goes up to 6,363 mg/l, while that of natural water sources and of canals varies in the range 790 mg/l ÷ 1,217 mg/l. The analysis emphasized that natural waters (not those of oil traps) have been polluted by the petroleum industry. Based on the physico-chemical characteristics of natural waters, we came to the conclusion that some water sources (Spring and P-1) should not be used for domestic purposes. The obtained results serve local government structures for the management of hydrological systems, water bearing complexes and rehabilitation of wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the environmental prospective analysis for the sulphurous water at the Oil refinery is to visualize the possible future scenarios that allow complying with the emissions standards. To achieve that the author created a methodology based on the Michel Godet's one. Nine experts were selected with the use of Delphi method. These experts made a diagnosis to the industry with the use of a DAFO Matrix. The results place the industry in an adaptive position, and an overall problem was identified and the possible solution proposed. Then, the author used the methods MIC-MAC and MACTOR, as to know the variables and key actors respectively. While the SMIC method, with the support of the hypotheses proposed composed a total of sixty four scenarios, of which it was possible to choose the most desirable, even when it is the most likely to occur. Six technological variants were identified to achieve a sustainable hydro-treating process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Petroleum industry in Cienfuegos province is represented by "Camilo Cienfuegos" Refinery. It is a potential contamination and degradation risk of air, water and soil, whether for accidental discharges or for the emission of its dangerous residuals to the environment. For this reason, it is necessary to establish environmental continue monitoring programs, to evaluate the derived results, and to take the appropriate actions to eliminate or to reduce the risks and damages. The objective of this research was to evaluate the liquid residuals in the biologic oxidative pool, the last stage of the Residual Treatment Plant of the Refinery, and also in the last control point previous to the discharge of the residuals to Cienfuegos' bay. The main contamination parameters were measured and evaluated according to the Cuban norm: NC 521:2007. Water Wastes Discharges to the Coastal Zone and to Marine Waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The appropriate administration of the residual managerial liquids constitutes an alternative to minimize the degradation of the environment and to conserve the social environment of a town. The present work has as objective to analyze, with a social focus, the administration of the residual liquids of the State Refinery of Emeralds, Ecuador. The analysis demonstrated that the main social contradictions identified in the administration of the liquid residuals are: between the condition of public company of the refinery and their irrational behavior with regard to the conservation of the environment; between the knowledge and execution of the environmental legislation; among the importance of the company for the Ecuadorian economy and their inefficient economic acting. These alone social contradictions can be resolved with the change of the patterns of behavior of the company, because it would allow advancing in their environmental administration and in the economic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research possible variants of separation were identified and tested such as evaporation, centrifugation and precipitation for the treatment of waste water resulting from dielectric oil production in Sergio Soto refinery of Cabaiguán, Sancti Spíritus. This wastewater with intense dark color and strong smell of hydrocarbon is released into water courses deteriorating their quality and preventing the oxygen dissolution and its decreasing due to oxidation of organic matter. It seriously disrupts the development of aquatic life and water use for domestic purposes. Precipitation variant is proposed, using ethanol as a solution for separating the residual in two phases (liquid and solid). A theoretical explanation is giving to understand this separation. Both phases characterization were done. Treatments for liquid phase are proposed and the fuel-oil with solid mixture is tested to be reused following Cleaner Production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bottom deposits of oil tanks are studied and the hazard class of these deposits is calculated. A technology is developed for producing roofing material from oil sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the market changes that occurred in California's refining industry following the 1992 implementation of the California Air Resources Board's Phase II reformulated gasoline regulations. This paper uses monthly panel data to determine the impact that these regulations have had on the disparity between California's finished gasoline rack prices and that in other regions of the country. The findings suggest that large refiner compliance to Phase II increased the rack price of finished gasoline in California as compared with other regions. This relative price increase, which was likely triggered by the increased production costs associated with Phase II, is consistent with similar results found throughout the literature. However, as small refiners were required to comply with these regulations, this analysis finds that the premium paid for finished gasoline in California increased significantly. This additional increase in the rack price differential, along with trends in industry concentration, suggests that Phase II may have disproportionately disadvantaged California's small refiners, causing increased profits and market share for larger competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]