Synergetic Effect of Microorganisms and Charcoal on the Removal of BTEX and TPH from Crude Oil Contaminated Soil

Abstract

Ogu chinedu, Kariuki David, Wanjohi John and Owhoeke Elechi

In this study, we analyzed the combined effect of microorganisms and activated charcoal on the degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) and benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) from crude oil contaminated soil along the Port-Harcourt refinery in Rivers State, Nigeria. The microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, algae) only, the activated charcoal, and the combination of both were used on the soil samples for a period of nine weeks. Physicochemical parameters like pH, temperature, organic matter (OM), and total organic carbon (TOC) were also tracked. The findings revealed that pH values were near neutrality, favorable for microbial growth, while the TOC and OM values varied with treatment. The synergetic combination of charcoal and microorganisms gave the maximum TPH removal efficiency (91.45%), outcompeting individual treatments. BTEX removal was also greatly improved, with total degradation of BTEX by week nine. Xylene isomers exhibited almost complete removal with some fluctuations. This research demonstrates the efficiency of coupling microbial consortia and charcoal for bioremediation, providing and inexpensive and green approach to the remediation of crude oil contaminated soils. The findings confirm previous research on microbial hydrocarbon degradation and underscores the efficiency of synergetic approaches for environmental remediation on a large scale in oil contaminated regions like the Niger-Delta.

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