Remediation of Mild Crude Oil Polluted Fresh Water Wet Land with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizer

Abstract

Wetland pollution due to inputs from crude oil is one of the most prevalent environmental problems facing the aquatic ecosystem in the world. The present study was intended to investigate the effectiveness of combination of cow lumen and NPK fertilizer in stimulating the degradation of crude oil polluted fresh water wet land. Soil samples were collected from unpolluted plots, crude oil polluted plots and crude oil polluted plots that were treated with the remediating agents. After fifteen days and sixty days of remediation, the soil samples were analysed for pH, electrical conductivity (E.C), phosphate, PO3-4, phosphorous, P, % organic carbon, % total nitrogen N, carbon/nitrogen ratio and total petroleum hydrocarbon, TPH. The result indicates that combination of the inorganic and organic manure was more efficient in stimulating the degradation of the crude oil than the use of either the cow lumen or NPK fertilizer alone. The physiochemical properties of the soil in all the treated plots were observed to have been improved when compared with that of the untreated plots.