Drilling fluids are vital in oil and gas well operations, ensuring borehole stability, cutting removal, and pressure control. However, fluid loss into formations during drilling can compromise formation integrity, alter permeability, and risk groundwater contamination. Water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs) are favored for their environmental and cost-effective benefits but often require additives to address filtration and rheological limitations. This study explored the feasibility of using vegetable waste, including pumpkin peel (PP), courgette peel (CP), and butternut squash peel (BSP) in fine (75 μm) and very fine (10 μm) particle sizes as biodegradable WBDF additives. Waste vegetable peels were processed using ball milling and characterized via FTIR, TGA, and EDX. WBDFs, prepared per API SPEC 13A with 3 wt% of added additives, were tested for rheological and filtration properties. Results highlighted that very fine pumpkin peel powder (PP_10) was the most effective additive, reducing fluid loss and filter cake thickness by 43.5% and 50%, respectively. PP_10 WBDF maintained mud density, achieved a pH of 10.52 (preventing corrosion), and enhanced rheological properties, including a 50% rise in plastic viscosity and a 44.2% increase in gel strength. These findings demonstrate the remarkable potential of biodegradable vegetable peels as sustainable WBDF additives.

The upward trend in the global price of crude oil in recent years has led to increasing concerns about its macroeconomic implications especially in developing countries. While empirical research has concentrated on developed and oil importing countries, there is scant research on the impact of oil price volatility on oil-dependent exporting economies. Using quarterly time series data from 1970q1 to 2011q4, this paper analyses the impact of oil price shocks on output and some macroeconomic variables in Nigeria. The findings reveal that oil price shocks have substantial effects on output and other macroeconomic variables in Nigeria. The estimated elasticity of 0.164 suggests that when the real oil price increases by 100%, the real GDP would increase by 16.4%. In addition, real output in Nigeria is positively associated with public expenditure consumption, money supply and imports, and is negatively influenced by real depreciation of the domestic currency. The main policy implication is that in order to mitigate the effect of the continuous swings in oil prices on the Nigerian economy and disruption to development programmes, it is germane that government continues to maintain the national sovereign wealth fund (NSWF) account to stabilise government revenue.