Influence of Abattoir Wastes on Soil Microbial and Physicochemical Properties

Abstract

Influence of abattoir wastes on physicochemical and microbiological properties of soil samples obtained from Akwa Ibom State, Southern Nigeria were investigated using standard analytical and microbiological methods. Studied abattoirs and the control soils were in the sandy-clay-loamy soil category with varying quantities of sand, silt and clay. Bulk density, pH, electrical conductivities, salinity, moisture content, total organic and carbon content, cation exchange capacities, total petroleum hydrocarbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents of studied abattoir soils were higher than in control. Essential elements (K, Na, Ca, and Mg) and trace metals (Fe, Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb, Cr and Ni) levels were also higher in abattoir soils than in control though were within the permissible limit in soil except for Fe. Metal pollution index (MPI), enrichment factor (EF), geo-accumulation index (Igeo), degree of contamination (Cdeg) and pollution load index (PLI) of trace metals have also been calculated using existing pollution models. Microbial studies revealed total heterotrophic bacteria ranged from 6.41±0.43 to 7.91±0.58 log 10 CFU/g while fungal count ranged from 4.94±0.26 to 5.79±0.34 log 10 CFU/g. Among the four (4) locations, IK2 had the highest heterotrophic bacterial Original Research Article

Comparison of Soil Samples from Selected Anthropogenic Sites within Enugu Metropolis for Physicochemical Parameters and Heavy Metal Levels Determination

“…According to [2] soil organic matter usually acts as a store house or reservoir for most metals hence can influence their bioavailability in the soil. Results of Table 2 show that at soil depths 0 -20 cm and 20 -40 cm, the mean organic matter contents of the soil samples were, 8.34 ± 0.34 and 6.41% ± 0.51% for auto-mechanic workshops; 2.20 ± 0.14 and 1.53% ± 0.10% for fuel filling stations;…”

“…Human activities in urban areas largely contribute to the contamination of urban soils and this is a major environmental concern. Studies have shown that environmental pollution and its attendant problems on land, air and water qualities are severe now than ever [2]. There are several evidences to this fact, ranging from soil fertility loss, depletion of biodiversity, several health problems (those leading to metabolic disorder) and ecological problems.…”

Physicochemical Characteristics, Heavy Metal Levels and Pollution Index Status IN Soil Samples around NNOBI Abattoir in Anambra State

“…Therefore the most acidic of the soil samples was sampling point D1 while the less acidic was the control. According to Dan et al 1 , soil pH plays a great role in determining nutrients availability and species of micro-organisms in the soil. Low mean pH values observed for the sampling points D1-4 could be as a result of decomposition of organic matter that releases carbon IV oxide which reacts with water to form carbonic acid which eventually reduces soil pH.…”

“…The result further indicates that the mean values of organic matter content in sampling points D1-4 were higher than the values at the control and this was attributed to the lower levels of biodegradable wastes at the control site than the studied abattoir soils, suggesting therefore that waste materials from the abattoir could have significantly increased the organic matter content in the soil samples D1-4 than the control. According to Dan et al 1 , soil organic matter usually acts as a store house or reservoir for most metals hence can influence their availability in the soil. Dan et al 1 reported a comparable mean organic matter content in the soils around abattoirs in Ikot-Ekpene in Akwa-Ibom State with that obtained in the soil samples of this research The mean levels of Cu in the soil samples were within WHO recommended limits.…”

“…Research has shown that environmental pollution and its attendant impacts on land, air and water qualities are more severe now than before 1 . The major cause of environmental pollution is the indiscriminate discharge of wastes into the natural environment thereby tampering and negatively altering the natural qualities of the major components of the environment.…”