Abstract
Treatment of oil-polluted soil is a challenging problem faced by all refineries and petrochemical industries. In this research study, bioremediation of diesel oil contaminated soil was conducted for diesel concentration ranging from 5% to 20%. The physicochemical characteristics of diesel oil contaminated soil were studied. The effects of soil amendments, namely coconut ash powder, biofilter activated sludge, and NPK fertilizer, on total petroleum hydrocarbon removal efficiency were studied. The maximum total petroleum hydrocarbon removal efficiency achieved was 94.5% when 4g NPK, 40g of activated sludge and 40g of coconut ash powder per 1000g of contaminated soil were used. The studies on the effect of temperature confirmed the optimal temperature as 35°C. The parametric studies confirmed that the degradation efficiency decreased with increase in diesel oil concentration.
Highlights
Pollution caused by oil spills is a critical problem occurring near petrochemical plant sites
The components used in the bioremediation of crude oil contaminated soil are organic manure composed of activated sludge, coconut powder shell and inorganic fertilizer
The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal efficiency was around 50% in the diesel oil concentration range 5%-10% and later on decreased to 36.9% which could be due to the excessive pollutant loading resistance to microbial degradation
Summary
Pollution caused by oil spills is a critical problem occurring near petrochemical plant sites. Treatment of oil contaminated soil can be handled by physical, chemical or combined techniques. The effectiveness of these techniques highly depends on the hydrocarbon fractions present and their solubility properties. Different organisms are employed using various techniques of bioremediation according to the hydrocarbons present in the contaminated soil. Spilled crude oil affects physicochemical properties of the soil such as temperature, structure, nutrient status and pH. The light hydrocarbon fractions of the crude oil evaporate while the greasy fractions permeate slowly into the soil and are slowly biodegraded by microbes which naturally inhabit the soil [5]. Crude oil spills of diversified composition are considered as a difficult substrate mix as the microorganisms could not have resistance for all the pollutants. The objectives of this study are diesel oil contaminated soil treatment and the study of the effects of relevant variables on the bioremediation efficiency
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