Proposal for environmental impact mitigation of natural gas emissions from oil wells in eastern Ecuador

Abstract

The oil and gas sector is responsible for producing 25% of methane generated by human activities worldwide, contributing to global warming at a rate 80 times greater than CO2. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, oil exploitation is a source of greenhouse gases of approximately 450 million cubic feet per day. This study aims to conduct a literature review on petroleum gas flaring in eastern Ecuador by systematizing documents obtained from the Google Scholar database to generate sustainable strategies based on the Ecuadorian regulatory framework. To this end, a three-phase methodological design was adopted: i) Collection of bibliographic information, ii) Systematic literature review, and iii) Design of mitigation strategies. The results show direct impacts on air quality and nearby communities, associated with more than 400 active flares and 295 unreported flaring points. Furthermore, deficiencies in outdated infrastructure and limited adoption of clean technologies are evident. Therefore, the proposed strategies integrate social and health measures, gas liquids recovery with an estimated 30% increase in LPG production, and energy recovery with a potential of 70 MWh. The findings demonstrate that implementing a comprehensive mitigation plan, aligned with national regulations and international best practices, is technically and environmentally feasible, constituting a concrete alternative for reducing atmospheric impacts and moving towards more efficient and responsible energy management in the Ecuadorian Amazon.