Abstract
Spent Engine oil (SEO) is a common environmental pollutant generated after engine services. Disposing SEO is a serious environmental issue in Nigeria as generators end up disposing it in water drain systems, rivers, open vacant plots and agricultural lands. Thus, the need to assess the impact of such disposal on environmental components becomes imperative. Using a completely randomized design, a control and seven treatments of SEO (T0: 0 ml, T1: 5 ml, T2: 10 ml, T3: 15 ml, T4: 20 ml, T5: 25 ml, T6: 50 ml, T7: 75 ml) were applied to potted soil for cowpea planting. Plant height, leave number, yield, heavy metal load and hazard quotient were assessed. Baseline heavy metal analysis showed the SEO contained lead and cadmium at 0.003 mg/kg and 0.462 mg/kg respectively. There was significant reduction in plant height (T0: 50.72 cm, T3: 37.36 cm, T7: 24.33 cm), number of leaves (T0: 25.91, T3: 21.57, T7: 17.67), seed weight (T0: 24.40 g, T3: 16.38 g, T7: 5.03 g) and plant weight (T0: 171.60 g, T3: 136.60 g, T7: 54.70 g) in contaminated soil with increasing SEO concentration (P<0.05). Cowpea grown on contaminated soil accumulated cadmium in seeds (T0: 0.000 mg/kg, T3: 0.057 mg/kg, T7 0.119 mg/kg) and in roots (T0: 0.000 mg/kg, T3: 0.079 mg/kg, T7: 0.263 mg/kg) with hazard quotient ranging from 0.084 to 0.216. This study revealed that increasing environmental pollution through indiscriminate SEO increases the possibility of health risk by elevating hazard quotient and this should therefore be discouraged.
Highlights
Adverse impact of spent engine oil (SEO) according to studies has been observed on plants cultivated on Spent Engine oil (SEO) polluted soils leading to reduced germination of seeds, yield and increased uptake of toxic components (Akinola et al, 2004)
This study revealed that increasing environmental pollution through indiscriminate SEO increases the possibility of health risk by elevating hazard quotient and this should be discouraged
Adverse impact of spent engine oil (SEO) according to studies has been observed on plants cultivated on SEO polluted soils leading to reduced germination of seeds, yield and increased uptake of toxic components (Akinola et al, 2004)
Summary
Adverse impact of spent engine oil (SEO) according to studies has been observed on plants cultivated on SEO polluted soils leading to reduced germination of seeds, yield and increased uptake of toxic components (Akinola et al, 2004). According to Adedokun and Ataga (2007), SEO poses danger to the environment due to its high content in various pollutants both organic and inorganic. The impact of heavy metal contamination on the biological lives has been widely reported especially cadmium and lead which have been found in most crude oil (Raskin and Ensley, 2000; Meagher, 2000). Due to the presence of large quantities of hydrocarbons, toxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals, studies have shown that indiscriminate disposal of SEO may adversely affect plants, microbes and aquatic lives (Wang et al, 2000). Clinical studies have documented the relevance of cowpea and other legumes in the reduction of cholesterol and the risks associated with coronary heart diseases (Anderson and Major, 2002; Bouchenak and Lamri-Senhadji, 2013)
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