Chemical Augmentation for the Remediation of a Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Site

Field trials with inorganic fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) nutrients were simulated in the greenhouse to remediate hydrocarbon-polluted soils from a spill site in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Samples of the polluted soils taken from two depths were displayed in a randomized complete block (RCB) design and treated with 10-100 g of (NH4) 2SO4, KH2PO4, and KCl. The agronomic addition of the chemical nutrients was found to enhance the concentrations of nitrate-nitrogen, phosphate-phosphorus, and potassium in the soils. Pretreated nitrate-nitrogen content ranged from 432 to 590 mg/kg in the polluted samples (with a control at 522 mg/kg), while posttreatment concentrations were 3,285 +/- 154 mg/kg and 3,254 +/- 159 mg/kg for surface and subsurface soils, respectively. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.