Remediation of hydrocarbons in crude oil-contaminated soils using Fenton’s reagent

Sandy soil samples spiked with Bonny light crude oil were subsequently treated with Fenton's reagent at acidic, neutral, and basic pH ranges. Oil extracts from these samples including an untreated one were analyzed 1?week later with a gas chromatograph to provide evidence of hydrocarbon depletion by the oxidant. The reduction of three broad hydrocarbon groups-total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH); benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX); and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) were investigated at various pHs. Hydrocarbon removal was efficient, with treatment at the acidic pH giving the highest removal of about 96% for PAH, 99% for BTEX, and some TPH components experiencing complete disappearance. The four-ringed PAHs were depleted more than their three-ringed counterparts at the studied pH ranges.     

Field reconnaissance and estimation of petroleum hydrocarbon and heavy metal contents of soils affected by the Ebocha-8 oil spillage in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Field reconnaissance of the Ebocha-8 oil spill-affected site at Obiobi/Obrikom in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was carried out to assess the extent of damage to the terrestrial ecosystem and delimit the epicenter of oil spillage. Following three successive reconnaissance surveys, the area to be sampled was delimited (200 x 200 m2), and soil samples were collected using the grid method from three replicate quadrats at two depths, surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm). A geographically similar area located 50 m adjacent to the oil-polluted area was used as a reference (control) site. Total hydrocarbon content (THC) and heavy metal concentrations were later determined in the laboratory by extraction and spetrophotemetric techniques. Generally, the THC of soils at surface and subsurface depths of the oil-polluted plots was 2.06 x 10(4) +/- 4.97 x 10(3) mg/kg and 1.67 x 10(3) +/- 3.61 x 10(2) mg/kg soil, respectively, (no overlap in standard errors at 95% confidence limit) while concentrations of heavy metals(Pb, Cd, V, Cu and Ni) were enhanced, especially at the surface. The high levels of THC and heavy metals may predispose the site, which hitherto served as arable agricultural land, to impaired fertility and possible conflagration. When concentrations of heavy metals reach the levels obtained in this study, they may become toxic to plants or possibly bio-accumulate, thus leading to toxic reactions along the food chain. While the spilled-oil may have contributed to the enhanced levels of the metals in the affected soils, physico-chemical properties of the soils, mobility of metals, and the intense rainfall and flooding that preceded the period of study may have also contributed in part to their enhanced concentrations. The presence of high hydrocarbon content may cause oxygen deprivation, which may result in the death of soil fauna by asphyxiation. There is, therefore, an urgent need to clear the affected site of these excess hydrocarbon deposits so as to enhance the rehabilitation process of the affected mat layer of soils. Other appropriate mitigating measures, such as subsequent monitoring of hydrocarbon levels at suitable intervals after the clean up activities, are also recommended, with reference to the findings of this study, for effective management of the affected area.     

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. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Extractable Hydrocarbons, Nickel and Vanadium Contents of Ogbodo-Isiokpo Oil Spill Polluted Soils in Niger Delta, Nigeria

An oil spill polluted site at Ogbodo-Isiokpo in Ikwere Local Government Area of Rivers State in southern Nigeria, was identified for study following three successive reconnaissance surveys of oil fields in the Agbada west plain of Eastern Niger Delta. A sampling area of 200 m × 200 m was delimited at the oil spill impacted site using the grid technique and soils were collected at surface (0–15 cm) and subsurface (15–30 cm) depths from three replicate quadrats. A geographically similar, unaffected area, located 50 m adjacent to the polluted site, was chosen as a control (reference) site. Total extractable hydrocarbon contents of the polluted soils ranged from 3.02–4.54 and 1.60–4.20 mg/kg (no overlap in standard errors) at surface and subsurface depths respectively. The concentrations of two “diagnostic” trace heavy metals, nickel (Ni) and vanadium (V), which are normal constituents of crude oil, were also determined in the soils by atomic absorption spectrophotometric method after pre-extraction of cations with dithionite–citrate carbonate. Ni varied from 0.15 to 1.65 mg/kg in the polluted plots and from 0.18 to 0.82 mg/kg in the unpolluted plots; vanadium varied from 0.19 to 0.70 mg/kg in the polluted plots and from 0.14 to 0.38 mg/kg in the unpolluted plots. Ni and V were more enhanced (p < 0.05) in the oil-polluted soils, especially at subsurface depth. Whilst the oil spillage could be said to be indirectly responsible for the enhanced concentrations of nickel and vanadium via the injection and availability of the petroleum hydrocarbons that might have increased the activities of biodegradation on site, the physico-chemical properties of the soils and inherent mobility of metals, as well as the intense rainfall and flooding that characterized the period of study, may have also contributed, at least in part, to these enhanced concentrations. Such levels of Ni and V may result to enhanced absorption by plants, which may bring about possible bioaccumulation in such plants and the animals that depend on them for survival and all of these may lead to toxic reactions along the food chain.     

Impact of four-dimensional seismic and production activities on the mangrove systems of the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Reconnaissance survey and laboratory appraisal of the mangrove system in seven communities in the Niger Delta (Nigeria) endangered by seismic and production operations revealed several alterations of soil, sediment, and vegetation. Hydrocarbon content in the range of 0.3-1.1 mg/100 g was extracted within the proximities of spill sources and seismic lines. The prospect area covered by our investigation was characterized by a mixed mangrove forest dominated by Rhizophora racemosa. It was observed that the construction of the seismic lines was responsible for the vegetal disorientation recurrent in the area. The grass, Paspalum vaginatum, and the saltwater fern, Acrostichum aureum, were found at the fringe of most dredge spoils. The characteristic tidal inundation which increases mobility of the substrate, salinity fluctuation, and anoxia may also have contributed, at least in part, to the observed despoliation of some of these species found within the vicinities of the seismic lines and hydrocarbon percolation. Extensive revegetation program is recommended to ensure an effective restoration process of this ecologically fragile zone.     

Assessment and Treatment of Hydrocarbon Inundated Soils Using Inorganic Nutrient (N-P-K) Supplements: II. A Case Study of Eneka Oil Spillage in Niger Delta, Nigeria

Polluted soils from Eneka oil field in the Niger delta region of Nigeria were collected two months after recorded incidence of oil spillage as part of a two-site reclamation programme. The soils were taken on the second day of reconnaissance from three replicate quadrats, at surface (0–15 cm) and subsurface (15–30 cm) depths, using the grid sampling technique. Total extractable hydrocarbon content (THC) of the polluted soils ranged from 1.006×10³–5.540× 10⁴ mg/kg at surface and subsurface depths (no overlap in Standard Errors at 95% Confidence Level). Greenhouse trials for possible reclamation were later carried out using (NH₄)₂SO₄, KH₂PO₄ and KCl (N-P-K) fertilizer as nutrient supplements. Nitrogen as NO₃-N and potassium were optimally enhanced at 2% (w/w) and 3% (w/w) of the N-P-K supplementation respectively. Phosphorus, which was inherently more enhanced in the soils than the other nutrients, maintained same level impact after 20 g treatment with the N-P-K fertilizer. Total organic carbon (%TOC), total organic matter (%TOM), pH and % moisture content all provided evidence of enhanced mineralization in the fertilizer treated soils. If reclamation of the crude oil inundated soils is construed as the return to normal levels of metabolic activities of the soils, then the application of the inorganic fertilizers at such prescribed levels would duly accelerate the remediation process. This would be, however, limited to levels of pollution empirically defined by such THC values obtained in this study. The data on the molecular compositional changes of the total petroleum hydrocarbon content (TPH) of the spilled-oil showed the depletion of the fingerprints of the n-paraffins, nC₈–nC₁₀, and complete disappearance of C₁₂–C₁₇ as well as the acyclic isoprenoid, pristane, all of which provided substantial evidence of degradation.     

Hydrocarbon contamination of a terrestrial ecosystem: the case of Oshire-2 oil spill in Niger Delta,Nigeria

An oil-impacted site at Oshire-2 in Niger Delta (Nigeria) was delimited by reconnaissance. Surface and subsurface soils were analyzed for total extractable hydrocarbon content and some physicochemical characteristics. The oil-impacted soils had a mean hydrocarbon content of 1.99 × 10³ mg/kg (no overlap in Standard Error at 95% Confidence Limit) and were characterized by an isohyperthermic temperature regime >22°C, high moisture content, high acidity (low soil-pH) and low electrical conductivity. The intense infusion of degradable hydrocarbons at the site must have stimulated aerobic and anaerobic microbial metabolism and so, as oxygen became limiting, utilization of alternate electron acceptors produced an increasingly reducing environment.     

Chemical reclamation of crude-oil-inundated soils from Niger Delta, Nigeria

Crude-oil-inundated soils were collected from the Agbada oil field in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria 2 months after the recorded incidence of oil spillage. The soils were taken on the second day of reconnaissance from three replicate quadrats, at surface (0-15 cm) and subsurface (15-30 cm) depths, using the grid sampling technique. The total extractable hydrocarbon content (THC) of the polluted soils ranged from 1.24 × 10² to 3.86 × 10⁴ mg/kg at surface and subsurface depths (no overlap in standard errors at a 95% confidence level). Greenhouse trials for possible reclamation were later carried out using 10-100 g of (NH₄)₂SO₄, KH₂PO₄ and KCl (NPK) fertilizer as nutrient supplements. Nitrogen as NO₃-N and potassium were optimally enhanced at 2% (w/w) and 3% (w/w) of the NPK supplementation, respectively. Phosphorus, which was inherently more enhanced in the soils than the other nutrients, maintained the same level of impact after treatment with 20 g of NPK fertilizer. Total organic carbon (%TOC), total organic matter (%TOM), pH, and percentage moisture content all provided evidence of enhanced mineralization in the fertilizer-treated soils. If reclamation of the crude-oil-inundated soils is construed as the return to normal levels of metabolic activities of the soils, then the application of the inorganic fertilizers at such prescribed levels would duly accelerate the remediation process. However, this would be limited to levels of pollution empirically defined by such THC values obtained in this study.     

Gas chromatographic fingerprinting of crude oil from Idu-Ekpeye oil spillage site in Niger-delta, Nigeria

Samples were collected from an oil polluted site in Niger-delta, Nigeria. Gas chromatographic analyses carried out on the samples revealed an abundance of n-alkanes within the n-C₈–n-C₂₃ region. The pristane/phytane ratio of 5.70 obtained for the samples depicted a plant/terrestrial source input and a possible oxic depositional environment. The n-C₁₇/pristane and n-C₁₈/phytane ratios of 2.80 and 2.77, respectively, suggested that the spilled oil was only slightly weathered, as corroborated by the presence of peaks in the aromatic hydrocarbon fingerprints. The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fractions showed that the hydrocarbon fractions might have undergone combustion and/or that there was bush burning at the site prior to the oil spill incidence. This is supported by the abundance of high-molecular-weight PAHs which are pyrogenic in nature. High molecular weight PAHs are products of the combustion of petroleum or its products. The phenanthrene/anthracene ratio of 0.95, fluorathene/pyrene ratio of 2.23 and the ∑ (other three to six ringed PAHs)/∑ (five alkylated PAHs) ratio far greater than unity (4.10) also affirm this. On the other hand, the benzo (a) anthracene to chrysene ratio of 0.24 confirms the petrogenic origin of the spilled oil because chrysene which is highly abundant is a fossil PAH.     

Comparative analysis of the growth impact of pollution and energy use in selected West African nations

We adopt the FMOLS and Granger causality technique to analyse the effect of energy use and carbon emissions on output growth in selected West African economies, which includes Nigeria, Gambia and Ghana, from 1970 to 2019. Findings confirm that energy use enhances growth in the three selected West African economies. But in terms of significance, energy consumption is significant in Nigeria and Gambia at a 1% level of significance while it is insignificant for the Gambia. CO₂ emission positively and significantly propels economic growth for the three selected West African economies. For Nigeria, causality evidence shows no direct influence among the variables. For Ghana, we find a bi-causal association between output growth and carbon emissions and a unidirectional causality from pollution to energy consumption. For Gambia, economic growth causes CO₂ emissions. We recommend that the West African government reinforce their stand on a sustainable growth path through energy conservation.