Abstract
Anthropogenic activities introduce petroleum hydrocarbons into the environments, and the remediation of the polluted environments using conventional physicochemical, thermal, and electromagnetic technologies is a challenging task, laborious work, and expensive. The ecotoxicological effects and human health hazards posed by petroleum hydrocarbon pollutions gave rise to the call for “green technologies” to remove petroleum hydrocarbon contaminants from polluted environments. It is imperative to transition from the conventional physicochemical treatments methods that are expensive to more eco-friendly biological treatment technologies that reduce energy consumption, chemicals usage, cost of implementation and enables more sustainable risk-based approaches towards environmental reclamation. The chapter summarises and gives an overview of the various biological treatment technologies adapted to the remediation of hazardous petroleum hydrocarbon polluted sites. Biological treatment technologies include; bioremediation, biostimulation, bioaugmentation, bioattenuation, bioventing, biosparging, bioslurry, biopiling, biotransformation, landfarming, composting, windrow, vermiremediation, phytoremediation, mycoremediation, phycoremediation, electrobioremediation, nanoremediation, and trichoremediation. They are green technology approaches widely adopted, scientifically defensible, sustainable, non-invasive, ecofriendly, and cost-efficient in the remediation of petroleum hydrocarbons polluted environments compared to the physicochemical, thermal, and electromagnetic treatments technologies, which are rather destructive and expensive. The chapter provides detailed illustrations representing the various biological treatment technologies for a comprehensive understanding and successful implementation with their subsequent benefits and constraints.
Highlights
The intensive development of human civilisation, urbanisation, population growth, economic development, and impulsive industrialisation have expandedHazardous Waste Management petroleum hydrocarbon production, distribution, and utilisation
The global economy has become entangled with infrastructure that depends on petroleum hydrocarbon products such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, fuel oil and motor oils [3]
In another similar study conducted by Njoku et al [107], Pleurotus pulmonarius was used in mycoremediation of soil contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbon mixture comprising petrol, diesel, spent engine oil and spent diesel engine oil lubricant at the ratio of 1:1:1:1 in various concentrations of 2.5%, 5%, 10% and 20% for 62 days period
Summary
The intensive development of human civilisation, urbanisation, population growth, economic development, and impulsive industrialisation have expanded. The global economy has become entangled with infrastructure that depends on petroleum hydrocarbon products such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel, fuel oil and motor oils [3]. These products have become the main source of primary energy globally. The weathering process includes adsorption to soil particles and organic materials, volatilisation to the atmosphere [15], and dissolution in water [16]. It has become imperative to transition from conventional treatment technologies such as physicochemical treatments, thermal/ heat treatments, electric and electromagnetic treatments, acoustic and ultrasonic treatments that are challenging, laborious, extensive and expensive to more feasible biological treatment technologies that are sustainable, eco-friendly and economical
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