Evaluation of physicochemical, microbiological and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of top soils from Oka Market Waste Collection Site, Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The aim of this study was to evaluate the physicochemical, microbiological and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon composition of top soil samples from Oka market waste collection site. Standard analytical and microbiological procedures were adopted. pH and electrical conductivity ranged from 6.45 to 7.39 and 230 to 940 µS/cm respectively. The highest content of organic carbon was observed in sample 2 (5.91 %), while that of sodium and potassium were 2.44 meq/ 100g (soil 2) and 0.23 meq/ 100g (soil 3) respectively. Calcium and magnesium content in the soil ranged from 2.60 to 7.72 meq/ 100g and 0.69 to 1.38 meq/ 100g respectively. The total hydrocarbon content ranged from 2.4 to 15.9mg/kg. The results of particle soil analysis revealed high content of sandy soil (88.2 to 90.7). Iron had the highest concentration among studied heavy metals, ranging from 193 to 649.2 mg/kg. Total heterotrophic bacterial and fungal counts were in the magnitude of 10 4 , ranging from 3.6 to 17.4 cfu/g and 2.3 to 6.9 cfu/g. Tentative bacterial isolates were Bacillus sp., Micrococcus sp., Staphylococcus spp. and Enterobacter sp., while fungal isolates were Aspergillus sp. Candida sp. and Penicillium spp. The highest concentration of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon was 16.5 mg/kg, with its components ranging from 0.08 mg/kg (Dibenzo(a,h) anthracene) to 2.1 mg/kg (Benzo(k) fluoranthene). The quality of soil is as a result of all the processes that act on it, therefore, informing the public of the dangers inherent in improper management of soil environment should be considered as an important aspect of scientific research. © JASEM http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/jasem.v21i1.12

Evaluation of Physico-Chemical and Fungal Species Associated with Oil Contaminated Soil from Selected Automobile Garage in Sokoto Metropolis

“…Organic matter 0.1-0.6 % while control was 0.34 %. This results is in line with other previous findings as in [14,20,22,23]. The results of particle soil analysis revealed high content of sandy soil (95.1 to 87.3).…”

“…was found in all the locations except C, and finally, Sporobolomyces sp. was detected in two locations namely; B and D while the two other locations it was not detected, this could be traced in similar research as in [14,16,22].…”

“…Soil bacteria and fungi play pivotal roles in various biogeochemical cycles (BGC) and are responsible for the cycling of organic compounds. Soil microorganisms also influence above-ground ecosystems by contributing to plant nutrition, soil structure, tex-ture and fertility [1,8,14]. Pollution in the environment is the unfavourable alteration of our environment as a result of wastes from man's activities, changes in radiation levels, physicochemical characteristics and abundance of organisms in a harmful way.…”

“…If not properly disposed and managed the resulting environmental impact from these wastes can be disastrous [21]. Some of the obvious consequence of man-made pollution includes transmission of diseases by water borne pathogens, accumulation of toxic or recalcitrant chemicals in the soil, destabilization of ecological balance and negative effects on human health [7,14,20,24]. As a result of change in land use and accumulation of non-biodegradable wastes pointed out, there is need to determine the soil properties for proper management planning.…”

Interactions of trace metals with bacteria and fungi in selected agricultural soils of Egbema Kingdom, Warri North, Delta state, Nigeria

“…Trace metal toxicity may result in compromised soil arability which in many cases has shown inhibitory effects on plants growth ( Unsal et al., 2014 ). Exposed plants may elicit disrupted physiological activities such as photosynthesis, gaseous exchange and nutrient absorption which result in plant growth reduction and dry matter accumulation ( Oketola and Fagbemigun, 2013 ) thus threatening national and global food security and causing land tenure problems ( Imarhiagbe et al., 2017 ; Igiri et al., 2018 ).…”