Efficiency of cow horn-powder in the remediation of crude oil impacted soil

Abstract

Efficiency of Cow-Horn Powder in the Remediation of Crude Oil Impacted Soil was evaluated. Five beds of 40cm by 40cm with depth 30cm, partitioned on 220cm2 plot of land in Aluu, Port Harcourt were used for the study. A volume, 0.9 liters of Crude Oil was used to contaminate 4 beds of partitioned soil per 0.18m2 and left undisturbed for 14 days. Three of the partitioned contaminated beds (XgCH, YgCH and ZgCH) were thereafter bio-stimulated with 50g, 75g and 100g respectively of Cow Horn-Powder. The 4th served as negative control and the 5th, neither stimulated nor contaminated. Soil samples in triplicates, collected from depth 0-25cm from various beds at day zero soil contamination, Biostimulation Week 6 and 8 respectively were homogenized and analyzed for relevant Hydrocarbon indices, Heavy Metals and Physico-chemicals using standard methods. The highest remediation concentrations of the TPH which ranged between 652.11±0.0050 mg/kg and 893.20±0.005 mg/kg and PAH (92.99±0.001 mg/kg and 54.08±0.001 mg/kg) after eight weeks of remediation yielded 59.1% and 42.0% respectively. Degrees of reductions which ranged between 0.10±0.01 and 26.0±0.05 were recorded in the values of the Heavy Metals (Ni, Pb, Cr, Mn, Cu, Zn, Fe and Cd). Accordingly, significant differences (P≤0.05) were noticed between the values of TPH, PAH and Heavy Metals of the impacted soils and controls. Results suggest that Cow Horn-Powder is potent in remediating Crude Oil impacted Soils.