Clean-up of crude oil-contaminated soils: bioremediation option

Abstract

As we advance towards “a non-toxic environment”, there is increased action in the soil, surface, and groundwater remediation activities in response to the world’s environmental quality objectives. Crude oil is a pollutant whose entrance into the soil, surface, and groundwater environments has elicited profound negative impacts as harbinger of soil, water, and air pollution. The effects of oil spillage in the environments are unprecedented and cannot be ignored. It is necessary to decontaminate the polluted ecosystem after a spill since they are potent immunotoxicants and carcinogens, which can cause kidney diseases, cancer, and liver damage. Bioremediation, a technology that exploits the various capabilities of microorganisms to degrade or convert organic pollutants to innocuous products through mineralisation, has become the process of choice in the quest to remove soil contaminants. The bioremediation technology is deemed efficient, is low cost, does not require any technical skills to function, and mostly does not impact the ecosystem negatively. Although the efficacy of the bioremediation treatment is inhibited by the properties of the pollutants, the soil matrix, and the ecological factors, it remains the process of choice for most environmentalist. This article reviews the bioremediation process, highlighting the use of adsorption and photocatalysis as the most popular strategies applied in the reduction of pollutants in contaminated water bodies.