Bioremediation of Soils Contaminated with Nigerian Petroleum Products Using Composted Municipal Wastes

The efficiency of ready-to-use, source-separated, composted municipal organic wastes of Nigerian origin on degradation of soil total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in soils polluted with petroleum products (crude oil, diesel, and spent engine oil) was assessed in screen house experiments. The effect of compost: soil ratios and combined effect of compost-phytoremediation technique were also studied. TPH was determined spectrophotometrically, after extraction with 1:1 acetone-dichloromethane mixture at 425 nm. Soil pH, electrical conductivity, and phytotoxicity to seed germination and growth of maize (Zea mays L.) served as risk assessments on soil quality and evidence of recovery for the oil-impacted soil. Results showed that the treatments increased soil pH and electrical conductivity but reduced TPH. Reductions in TPH by compost technology ranged from 40% to 75.87%. Toxicity to seed germination reduced from 100% to 16.12%. Positive correlations were obtained for plant agronomical parameters and growth period, for all treatments, with coefficients in the range of .905 to .996, p < .05. This study revealed that ready-to-use composted waste has the potential for bioremediation of soils polluted with petroleum and petroleum products. This study is a contribution to the data bank of relatively simple bioremediation methods, suitable for workers in the developing countries, where there is no easy access to high-technology facilities. However, further development of this technique to achieve zero residual TPH is recommended.