Abstract
Soil properties of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils from automobile mechanical shops in the Cape Coast Municipality of the Central Region of Ghana were investigated to assess their alternation due to the petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. Soil samples were collected from eight automobile mechanical shops and control sites and analyzed using standard protocols. The mean particle size distribution followed the order: sand 64.79±19.47 > silt 22.81±9.47 > 12.40±14.68. The distributions for the control samples followed a similar order. The particle size distribution of soils from the study sites was not significantly different from those of the control sites (p<0.05). There were greater variations in soil characteristics of control samples than those of the contaminated soils, with significant differences observed between most of the soil characteristics of the two sites (p<0.05). Significant correlations were observed between some soil properties, between temperature and conductivity (p< 0.01; r=-0.689); temperature and organic matter (p< 0.05; r= 0.422); pH and conductivity (p< 0.01; r= 0.549); pH and nitrate (p< 0.05; r= 0. 430); pH and Phosphate (p< 0.01; r= 0.652); nitrate and phosphate (r= 0. 728, p< 0.01), organic matter and phosphate (p< 0.01; r= 0. 692); moisture and nitrate (r= 0. 787, p< 0.0); and between moisture and phosphate (r= 0. .633, p< 0.01). Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination altered soil properties and may adversely affect sensitive bacteria.Keywords: Physiochemical properties, Soil, Petroleum hydrocarbon, Contamination
Highlights
The natural soils in mechanical garages are mainly contaminated with residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbons
In Ghana, there is no data on the effects of hydrocarbon contamination of these workshops and garages on the soil properties, and their overall impact on the quality of the soils
Vehicular mechanical workshop sites were selected for study since oil, both used and unused are often spilled, accidentally or deliberately into soils in these operational sites, and are relatively much contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons than soil in other areas
Summary
The natural soils in mechanical garages are mainly contaminated with residual polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbons. In Ghana, there is no data on the effects of hydrocarbon contamination of these workshops and garages on the soil properties, and their overall impact on the quality of the soils. The aim of this present study was to determine physicochemical properties and soil organic matter contents of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soils from vehicular mechanical workshops in the Cape Coast Metropolis of the Central Region of Ghana and to assess the effect of the contamination on the soil characteristics and environment. The urban nature of the Cape Coast Metropolis with the numerous automobile servicing shops within the small city makes it suitable as a study area
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