Remediation of crude oil contaminated soil by enhanced natural attenuation technique

Abstract

The concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, total hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria (THUB), total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) and total petroleum hydrocarbon were determined using the remediation by enhanced natural attenuation (RENA) in a crude oil contaminated farmland in Rivers state, Nigeria. A TPH concentration of 1.1004 x10⁴ mg/kg of the sandy soil was achieved after spiking and tilling. There was a reduction in the TPH level from 300mg/kg after 8 weeks, to 282mg/kg after 10 weeks. No significant reduction in the TPH level was observed after the 10^th week. The nitrogen and phosphorus levels of the sandy soil were 24.6 and 22.8mg/kg respectively. This suggests that the nitrogen and phosphorus levels could no longer support biodegradation at the residual TPH levels of 282mg/kg and 22.8mg/kg after spiking and tilling respectively, which further reduced to 0.12mg/kg and 1.7mg/kg respectively after 10 weeks. The total hydrocarbon utilizing bacteria (THUB) increased from 3.0 x 10⁴cfu/g to 8.55x10⁴cfu/g and finally reduced to 5.38 x10⁴cfu/g, while the total heterotrophic bacteria (THB) reduced from 1.22 x10⁸ cfu/g to 5.98 x 10⁵cfu/g. Data of the study indicate that remediation enhanced natural attenuation technique could be employed to remediate a farm settlement contaminated by crude oil.


Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management Vol. 9(1) 2005: 103-106