Ecological Benefits of Bioremediation of Oil Contaminated Water in Rich Savannah of Palogue, Upper Nile Area-Southern Sudan

Abstract

Plants and their associated microbes can be used in the cleanup and prevention of environmental pollution. This growing technol ogy uses natural processes to break down, stabilize, or accumulate pollutants. It is well established that most crude oils are biod egradable to a great extent, especially components as short linear alkanes or simple aromatic hydrocarbons. However, the heavy fraction, made of long-chain saturated and polyaromatic hydrocarbons and a considerable fraction of asphaltenes and resins, is generally recalcit rant to degradation. Based upon fi eldwork conducted during February 2010, bioremediation of oil contaminated water is investigated in Palogue oil fi elds in the rich savannah of Upper Nile area in southern Sudan. The paper reviews the ecological bene fi ts of bioremediation to pro- duce a clean environment of oil pollutants there, and how far it could be bene fi t for the Sudan, supported from some world experiences. The main fi ndings suggested valuable results by the Reed Bed ‘’Phragmites australis’’ (Figure 1) which breaks down the hydrocarbons sequence to produce free water of contaminants, now suitable for forestry development and recovery of natural fauna after decad es of military con fl ict. The paper concluded that community awareness is essentially imperative and a national strategy is needed for further adaptive methods for the environment conservation.