Assessment of a Hydrocarbon Exploration Site in North Eastern State of Tripura

Abstract

Recently abandoned hydrocarbon exploration sites generally support a smaller number of plants since there are few spaces for plants to grow and survive in the exploration site with all the concrete structure around and very few areas of soil to support vegetation. Metals are required by plants for their growth while a higher level can cause the plants to die. The study has been conducted to explore the concentration of metals in an abandoned hydrocarbon exploration site and their adjacent site of Tripura to determine the species diversity in the area with the metal concentration. The highest concentration of iron, chromium, and sulfur in the site were recorded in Chromolaena odorata, Urena lobata and Crotalaria pallida. All the plants collected have some levels of iron, chromium, and sulfur in their shoot as well as their roots. This study will be beneficial as the plants which have highest level of a particular metal can be used in future research to remediate the area of that metal. In this way, the cost of searching for plants to be used for phytoremediation experiment will also be reduced. The growth of plants in the abandoned hydrocarbon exploration sites will also help in reducing the contaminants of that sites.