Remediation of soil contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from crude oil

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine ways of remediating soils contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) associated with crude oil. The study involves the use of planted cowpeas, mushrooms, algae, dead vegetable and live earthworm, and fire-heating of the contaminated garden soil collected from the Niger Delta area of Nigeria. The types and levels of the PAH in the soil before and after three weeks of contamination were determined using gas chromatography. Mushrooms and cowpeas proved to be very adequate phytoremediators. Fire heat was third, algae and dead vegetable with live earthworm showed the least reduction. This study thus recommends that the people of the Niger Delta should engage in planting of mushrooms and cowpeas to regenerate and ameliorate petroleum contaminated land for beneficial farming.

Key words: Crude oil, petroleum, contaminated soil, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, mushrooms, cowpeas.