ABSTRACT

Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is one of the major environmental problems resulting from its large
scale uses in transportation, industrial, agricultural and other sectors. Accidental releases and workshop
seepage of petroleum products are of key concern for the environment. A variety of petroleum
hydrocarbons such as petroleum, diesel, gasoline, heavy oil, kerosene etc. are used extensively as energy
source, although their contaminations in soil and water have adverse effects. Contamination of soil with
petroleum products deteriorates soil’s biochemical and physicochemical properties; it also limits the
growth and development of plants. Oil spills has devastating effects on marine ecosystems, it hindered
oxygen penetration in water which affect marine ecosystem. Petroleum hydrocarbon has several chronic
and acute effects on human health. Inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact of these pollutants cause
many harmful diseases. Bioremediation is the promising technology for the treatment of these petroleum
hydrocarbons since it is cost-effective and environment friendly. Several microorganisms have the
capability to grow on it, use it as a sole source of carbon and mineralize it into simpler forms in natural
environment. This review provides an overview on the effects of petroleum hydrocarbons on soil, water
and human health and degradation of these petroleum hydrocarbons using microorganisms.

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Petroleum is a complex mixture of thousands of hydrocarbons and non-hydrocarbon compounds,

including heavy metals. Nigeria is an established petroleum exporting nation producing medium and light
petroleum, such as bonny light (Amund et al., 1993). Petroleum exportation is the main stay of Nigeria’s
economy. Petroleum is a colloidal mixture of different hydrocarbons (90%) and non-hydrocarbon (10%)
components (Cadwellaer et al., 1993). Various activities in petroleum exploration, exploitation, storage
and transportation lead to spillage of oil to the environment (Agbogidi et al., 2007). Petroleum causes
harmful effects on the environment, where it poses a serious threat to organisms and farmland that are
linked in a complex food chain that includes humans (Lundstedt et al., 2003).

The effects of petroleum on the growth and performance of plants have been reported in many studies
(Njoku et al., 2008). Petroleum in soil makes the soil condition unsatisfactory for plant growth. It can
reduce the level of available plant nutrient in contaminated soils (Jong et al., 1980) and can also raise the
levels of certain elements such as iron and zinc to toxic amounts (Udo et al., 1975). Water and oil are
usually considered to be immiscible. However, petroleum contains a very small soluble portion referred
to as the water soluble fraction (WSF). The soluble constituents are dispersed particulate oil, dissolved
hydrocarbons and soluble contaminants such as metallic ions. The components of petroleum that go into
solution make up the WSF. The lower the molecular weight of the constituent hydrocarbon of petroleum,
the higher is its concentration in the water-soluble fraction (Edema et al., 2012).

Exposure of plants to petroleum and heavy metal poisoning has been reported to produce reactive oxygen
species (ROS) and other free radicals which induce oxidative stress and cause lipid peroxidation
(Blokhina et al., 1999). Even at an early stage, it can cause a reduction in cell proliferation and growth.
Various researchers have reported activation of lipid peroxidation in plants exposed to different pollutants
(Chirkova et al., 1998). Increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity has also been reported in oat,
wheat and Arabidopsis thaliana in soils contaminated with various pollutants (Alscher et al., 2002).
Several plant species have also been shown to have elevated peroxidase activities in response to increased
pollutant concentrations (Jouili et al., 2003). Reactive oxygen species is thought to increase cellular
damage through the oxidation of several macromolecules such as lipids and proteins (Ortega et al., 2005).

Through a large number of literature research, the harm of oil-polluted soil mainly includes the following
aspects: Firstly, because of the small density, higher viscosity and lower emulsifying ability of petroleum,
it is easy to be absorbed in soil surface, affecting the permeability and porosity of soil (Wang, 2009; He et

2
al, 1999); petroleum is rich in carbon and a small amount of nitrogen compounds, so it can change the
composition and structure of soil organic matter and impact the C/N, C/P, salinity, pH, EH and
conductivity of soil (Li et al, 2009). The heavy metals (nickel and vanadium) in oil mixtures (Saadat et al,
2014) and high concentrations of salt in oilfield output water can also damage the soil environment
(Efsun et al, 2015). Secondly, microorganisms in natural environment are quite abundant in healthy and
clean soil. In normal situation the microorganisms which can resist the oil pollution stress are not
developed, while in contaminated soil, in order to adapt to this kind of environment, they can produce
certain enzyme system and gradually form a dominant population with symbiotic or synergy effect
(Chiara et al, 2009). A number of studies have shown that the hydrocarbon pollution can change the
microbial population, the composition of the community structure and the enzyme system in soil, given
priority to the inhibitory action (Deng, 2014; Uzoije and Agunwamba et al, 2009). Thirdly, it can impede
the normal growth of crops such as reduce the germination rate and fertility and decline the resistance to
pests and diseases (Xu and Lu, 2010; Zhu, 2010; Shan et al, 2014). In addition, the oil compounds could
react with inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, limiting the nitrification and removal of phosphoric acid,
so the effective nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil would decrease and the absorption of crops will be
affected (Liao et al, 2015; Pinchin et al, 2013; Shen, 2011).

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1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In Niger Delta, oil pollution arising from oil spillages and gas flaring regularly occurs. Therefore, the
environment has been destroyed, while the rivers and farmland which the inhabitants rely on for their
farming and fishing activities have been rendered unwholesome. This environmental destruction has
increased the poverty level of the inhabitants. The prevention of petroleum contamination on soil cannot
be overemphasized.  Consequently, the problem of this study is to determine the effect of petroleum
pollution on beans germination and growth rate with special reference to the effect on the biochemical
characteristics of beans.

1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of study is to provide natural remedy for the degrading of petroleum

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study

Aim

The aim of the study is to research on the effect of the petroleum contaminated soil and its remedy
without the application of chemical

Objectives

1. To research on effect of petroleum polluted soil

2. To research on the remedy of petroleum degrading through bio remedy

1.4 Justification

Contamination of soil by petroleum spills is a wide spread environmental problem that often requires
cleaning up of the contaminated sites. Disposal of oil based wastes, oil spills from well blow outs and
pipeline ruptures are the most common sources of petroleum contamination (Reis, 1996). Petroleum spills
affect plants adversely by creating conditions which make essential nutrients like nitrogen and oxygen
needed for plant growth unavailable to them. It has been recorded that oil contamination causes slow rate
of germination in plants.

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LITERATURE REVIEW

1.5 GENERAL STUDIES

Petroleum contamination significantly increases the soil pH up to 8.0, and reduces available phosphorus

concentrations in the  The concentrations of total organic carbon are significantly different among
sampling sites. Petroleum hydrocarbons are extensively used worldwide as a fuel. Because of its huge
demand as an energy source, contamination occurs quite often as a result of exploration, production,
maintenance, transportation, storage and accidental release, leading to significant ecological impacts. As
the modern civilization developed, it creates pressure on the energy source, especially on petroleum
hydrocarbons. Approximately 5.74 million tons of oil were lost as a result of tanker incidents from 1970
to 2014. Workshop seepage is also another source of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. The presence
of various kinds of automobile and machinery vehicles has caused an increase in the use of motor oil.
Used motor oils spillage such as diesels or jet fuels contaminate natural environment. Environmental
contamination by petroleum hydrocarbon is one of the significant concerns of recent world. It has
disastrous and catastrophic consequences, not only on the human beings but also on other biotic
components of the ecosystem. When an oil spill occurs, oil floats being less dense than water. It also
pollutes air since the most volatile hydrocarbons start to evaporate initially after the oil spills. There are
different types of physical and chemical method for the remediation of oil contaminated soil such as
burying, evaporation, dispersion, washing etc. Soil vapor extraction, soil washing and incineration are
some of the mechanical methods. However, these technologies are expensive and can lead to incomplete
decomposition of contaminants. There are also some chemical methods but these are very costly approach
to treat oil contaminated sites. Therefore, it is important to develop an innovative, low cost and eco-
friendly method for the removal of hydrocarbon contamination from the soil. Bioremediation method is
considered to be more economical and safe method for the treatment of hydrocarbon contaminated site.
Several microorganisms have the ability to grow on hydrocarbon contaminated soil and they are capable
to degrade oil than those microorganisms which grow on non-contaminated sites of oil. This paper
provides information on the effects of petroleum hydrocarbon on soil, water and human health and
degradation of these petroleum hydrocarbon using microorganisms. Crude-oils are mainly short-chain
hydrocarbons, it is composed of complex mixtures of paraffinic, alicyclic and aromatic hydrocarbons and
a smaller proportion of nonhydrocarbon compounds such as naphthenic acids, phenols, thiol, heterocyclic
nitrogen, Sulphur compounds as well as metallo-prophyrins and asphaltenes . Petroleum as a complex
mixture is produced by incomplete decomposition of plant and animal biomass over a long time. The
carbon content normally is in the range 83-87%, and the hydrogen content varies between 10 and 14%. In

5
addition, varying small amounts of nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and metals (Ni and V) are found in
petroleums

Diesel

Diesel fuels are middle distillates of crude petroleum separated by fractional distillation. Other middle
distillates include kerosene and aviation fuel. The carbon number of diesel oil hydrocarbons is between
11 and 25 and the distillation range is between 180 to 380°C. Diesel oil contains 2000 to 4000
hydrocarbons, which cannot be totally separated by gas chromatography. It includes approximately 64%
aliphatic hydrocarbons, l-2% olefinic hydrocarbons and 35% aromatic hydrocarbons. It composed of four
main structural classes of hydrocarbons.

a) n-alkanes or n-paraffins (linear saturated hydrocarbons).

b) isoalkanes or isoparaffins (branched saturated hydrocarbons).

c) cycloalkanes or naphthenes (saturated cyclic alkanes). d) Aromatics.

Gasoline

Gasoline is a generic term used to describe volatile, inflammable petroleum fuels used primarily in
internal combustion engines to power passenger cars and other types of vehic1e, such as buses, trucks,
motorbikes and aircraft In gasoline composition, aromatics amount to about 50% of the total
hydrocarbon content. Iso-alkanes amount to about 35% alkanes, alkenes and cycloalkanes are present in
minor quantities. Its distillation range is from 30-35°C to 180-200°C. It is a complex mixture of volatile
hydrocarbon compounds with a nominal boiling-point range of 50-200°C (USA) or 25- 220°C (Europe)
for automotive gasoline. Hydrocarbons are predominantly in the C4-C12 range. Gasoline is very
flammable; it catches on fire quite easily, evaporates quickly, and forms explosive mixtures with air.
Most people can begin to smell gasoline at 0.25 parts of gasoline per million parts of air (ppm). Gasoline
does not dissolve readily in water.

Heavy Oil

Heavy oils are naturally occurring materials which contain hydrocarbons that are synthesized by living
organism usually account for less than 20% by weight of the petroleum and petroleum like materials. It is
the residue of petroleum distillation and its composition is carbon 88%, hydrogen 10%, sulfur 1%, H2O
0.5%, ash 0.1% by weight, and may contain dispersed solid or semi-solid particles (asphaltenes, minerals
and other leftovers from the oil source, metallic particles from the refinery equipment, and some dumped

6
chemical wastes), plus some 0.5% water. It leaves a carbonaceous residue in the tanks, and may have up
to 5% of sulfur. The limited constituents of heavy oil that dissolve in water become available for
biodegradation when release to the environment. Heavy oils are not readily biodegradable. Heavy oils are
also mutagenic.

Kerosene

Kerosene is a liquid mixture of chemicals produced from the distillation of petroleum. Kerosene is a
major component (>60%) of aviation (jet) fuels, is used for “oil” central heating systems and can be used
as a cleaning agent or solvent. Kerosene contains hydrocarbons C11 to C12. It is flammable and
practically insoluble in water.

Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination

Though social and economic development largely depends on petroleum hydrocarbon as it is a dominant
source of energy, it has caused a huge area of contamination and relevant adverse effects. The
contamination of petroleum hydrocarbon disseminate from soil, water to human health.

Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination on Soil

Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination of soil is a widespread global environmental concern. Oil and fuel
spills in soil are among the most extensive and environmentally damaging pollution problems as it is
threatening to human health and ecosystems, especially in cold region. Biochemical and physicochemical
properties of soil is deteriorated by refinery products and it also limits the growth and development of
plants. Water and oxygen deficits as well as to shortage of available forms of nitrogen and phosphorus are
the main changes of soil properties due to contamination with petroleum-derived substances. Petroleum
hydrocarbon contaminated soil causes organic pollution of underground water which restricts it use and
causes economic loss, environmental problems and decreases the agricultural productivity of the soil.
Microorganisms, plants, animals and humans are facing vulnerable situation because of the toxicity of
petroleum hydrocarbons. Soil enzymes are one of the important biotic components which are responsible
for soil biochemical reactions. Petroleum hydrocarbon has adverse effects of on soil enzyme activities.

Effect of crude oil on Soil

Oil spills affect plants by creating conditions which make essential nutrients like nitrogen and oxygen
needed for the plant growth unavailable to them. Petroleum contamination at different levels caused

7
significant reduction in the growth of the plant using plant height, fresh weight and leaf area and the
effect is proportional to the levels of contamination. Petroleum pollution has also adverse effects on soil
fertility and plant production. It could reduce or stop plant growth leading to death as a result of forming a
physical barrier and coating the roots.

Table 1 shows adverse effects of petroleum contaminated soil in different plant species.

EFFECT PLANT REFERENCE

Significant reductions in plant height, leaf Maize(Zea mays) Agbogidi et al. [
area and stem diameter was observed
A significant reduction in heights of Soybean (Glycine Ekpo et al
seedlings, leaf length and number of leaves max)
Root development is reduced. Red beans
(Phaseolusnipponesis Baek et al
) and corn (Zea mays)
Grain yield was significantly reduced at Maize (Zea mays L.) Ekundayo et al
95% level.

Bioremediation of Petroleum Hydrocarbon

The efficiency and efficacy of each method of remediation has limitations. The goal of remediation is to
eliminate the environmental pollutant as quickly as possible; only inefficient processes require human
intervention. Environmental factors such as requirements of reaction, mobility of substances, and
physiological needs of organisms will affect the rate and degree that contaminants are degraded.  Over
time, many of these requirements are overcome. This is when petroleum degrading bacteria and archaea
are able to mediate oil spills most efficiently. Weathering and environmental factors play large roles in
the success of bioremediation. Interacting soil and pollutant chemicals truly account for the work that can
be completed by these microorganisms. These processes change the soil composition and layering, along
with the biochemistry of the ecosystem. These chemical and biological changes require adaptation from
soil microbes to bioremediate. The susceptibility of the pollutant is also important to consider. Properties
such as solubility, temperature, and pH will affect bioremediation and affect the process. Pollutants that
are more soluble will be easier for microbes to transform into the environment. Otherwise, pollutants with
rigid molecular structures extend bioremediation as they are harder to convert into innocuous substances.
Bio accessibility, the amount of pollutant available for absorption, and bioavailability of pollutant will
affect efficiency as well. In many instances, needed nutrients are collected and allocated for petroleum

8
degrading microorganisms in order to maximize the efficiency of the process. Providing microorganisms
with the nutrients and conditions they need allow them to thrive.

Petroleum hydrocarbon contamination is highly hazardous to the environment. It has severe impacts on
the plants as well as animal ecosystem including human health. Various conventional methods include
physical and chemical technique which are costly and caused negative consequences. In such cases,
bioremediation is the most effective and it may be defined as any activity encouraging the natural process
of degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon. Bioremediation transforms the toxic substances to harmless
products such as CO2, H2O and fatty acids. bioremediation technology has many benefits such as low
cost, simple in-situ treatment, environmental friendly, no secondary pollution, and removes some
pollutants with high efficiency (Hill et al, 2000; Shen et al, 2002; Liste and Alexander, 2000), attracting a
lot of domestic and foreign scholars. According to the type of organism, the bioremediation technology
generally can be divided into three categories: microbial remediation, phytoremediation and plant-
microbial technology.

Since 1965 Jones and Smith firstly made use of microbes to dispose of the petroleum, the micro
biodegradation method was created (Tang, 2013). At present there are more than 100 species, 200 species
of microorganisms that can degrade the oil pollutants. Based on the source of microorganisms, they can
be divided into indigenous microbes, alien microbes and genetic engineering bacteria. Of these three
organisms, the indigenous microorganisms are able to adapt to the oil pollution and keep higher microbial
activity and degradation efficiency, so they are the most widely applied in the microbial remediation (Yao
et al, 2006; Yang et al, 2008; Kuiper et al; 2004), but naturally the number of indigenous microbial can't
meet the demand of reparation, in practice, the indigenous degrading bacteria was isolated from the
contaminated soil, after expanding cultivation then poured into the soil to improve the efficiency of
degradation (Tian, 2013; Peng, 2009).

Factor that affect bioremediation

1. Ph
2. Redox reaction pontential
3. Temperature
4. Moisture
5. Oxygen and other molecules
6. Nutrient availability

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 7. Soil composition
8. Solubility of pollutant

Ex-situ bioremediation
Ex situ remediation refers to reactions performed outside the natural habitat of these organisms.

1. Increased microbial activities through aeration, irrigation, and creation of bio-piles.

2. Increased degradation activities via turning of polluted soils and addition of minerals and
water.
3. The use of bioreactors, to enhance and speed up the biological reactions of
microorganisms to decrease bioremediation time.
4. Farming techniques that call for addition of nutrients in soil to stimulate microbial
mechanisms

In-situ bioremediation
In situ remediation refers to reactions performed inside a reaction mixture.
1. Bio-venting, using moisture and nutrients to enhance the transformation of pollutants to more
innocent substances.
2. Bio-slurping using pumping to apply oxygen and water, thus separating and compiling soils to
increase remediation of microbes.
3. Bio-sparging where air is pushed into soil to stimulate microbial bioremediation.
4. Phytoremediation uses the mechanisms of plants to decrease efficacy of pollutants

Microbial remediation

Indigenous microbial communities have an important role in oil contaminant degradation. Once the site is
contaminated, the microbial community composition will be greatly changed. Microorganisms involved
in the degradation of contaminant increase in their number till the contaminant is present. After the
degradation of the contaminant the microbial population decreases itself naturally. The rates of
degradation of different classes of organic compounds in petroleum mixture vary widely. The
biodegradation of n-alkanes is more rapid (except for the most volatile fraction C5-C9), followed by
simple aromatics such as benzene, toluene and xylene-isoalkanes whereas cycloalkanes and aromatics
degrade more slowly. Hydrocarbons differ in their susceptibility to microbial attack. The susceptibility of
hydrocarbons to microbial degradation can be generally ranked as follows: linear alkanes >branched
alkanes >small aromatics >cyclic alkanes. Some compounds, such as the high molecular weight
polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), may not be degraded at all. Most of the oil spillage occurs in
the sea during transportation. Several studies have done by many scientists on microbial degradation of
hydrocarbon in marine environment. Sutiknowati found that Alcanivorax, Marinobacter and

10
Prosthecochloris are some hydrocarbon degrading bacteria which are found in marine environment [48].
According to Chikere et al. Bacillus, Nocardia, Staphylococcus, Pseudomonas, Flavobacterium,
Escherichia, Acinetobacter and Enterobacter. Bacillus spp are isolated from marine sediments of the
Niger Delta and they can degrade hydrocarbon. Bacillus spp showed 92.5% degradation of hydrocarbon
content during the spillage of Lubricating oil in the water, studied by Gopinath et al. and Dhar et al.
studied on the biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon of ship breaking yard and found that Fusariumm
oniliforme caused the maximum degradation of octane (58%) and diesel (56%), Penicillium corylophilum
caused the same of kerosene (40%). Soil contamination also remedy by using microorganisms. In Kuwait,
Bacillus subtilis strains are isolated from oil contaminated soil. Petroleum is a complex mixture consisting
of aliphatics, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes. It caused potential hazards for the environment. Soil
bacteria are capable of adapting to degrade environmental pollutants; some soil types may have
indigenous bacteria that are naturally suitable for degradation. But High concentration of diesel can be
toxic to microbes and inhibit degradation, so bacterial degradation is possible when the concentration of
contaminant is below the threshold of toxicity. Lawson studied on diesel utilizing bacteria on
contaminated soil. They found that six hydrocarbon utilizing bacterial genera, Bacillus, Staphylococcus,
Enterobacter, Yersinia, Proteus, and Alcaligenes were present in the soil and the study clearly indicated
that Ghanaian soils contain diverse bacterial genera capable of degrading and utilizing diesel oil as carbon
source. Biodegradation of diesel oil was performed using a diesel oil-degrading bacterial consortium, in
both laboratory and pilot scale experiments by Marquez-Rocha et al

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Figure:1 Microbial remediation

12
Table 1 shows biodegradation of Crude Oil by Various Microorganisms

Degradation of petroleum Organism References

Maximum petroleum Consortium containing five Rahman et al
biodegradation of 78% was cultures (Micrococcus sp.
achieved Corynebacterium sp.
Flavobacterium sp., Bacillus sp.
and pseudomonas sp.
Increase in optical densities and Bacillus spp Sepahi et al.
utilize petroleum as a carbon
and energy source
Maximal degradation (93%) of The white rot fungus Polyporus Hadibarata and Tachibana
petroleum sp
Removed nearly 52.1% of consortium of Rhizobiales sp., Zhao et al
petroleum Pseudomonas sp., Brucella sp.,
Bacillus sp., Rhodococcus sp.,
Microbacterium sp. and
Roseomonassp
Potential biodegradation of in Potential biodegradation of in Latha and Kalaivani
situand/or ex situ situand/or ex situ
Degrade long chain petroleum Bacillus and GeobaciIllus Maintains et al. (2006)
alkanes in a range between species
46.64% and 87.68%.
mixed bacterial consortium Bacillussp, Corynebacterium sp, Sathish kumar et al
decreased from 77 to 45% as the and Pseudomonas sp
concentration of petroleum
At 1% petroleum concentration, Micrococcus sp., Rahman et al.
the mixed bacterial consortium Corynebacterium sp.,
degraded a maximum of 78% Flavobacterium sp, Bacillus sp.
and Pseudomonas sp
Petroleum degrade at 58% and Acinetobacter calcoaceticus and Lal and Khann
40% Alcaligenesodorans

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Phytoremediation

This is primarily using the interactions between plants, microbes and environment to form a soil plant-
rhizosphere microorganism multiple system. It's like a powerful "live purifier", including the solar-
powered "water pumps", "plant reactor", "microbial converter" and "soil filter" (Wang et al, 2008; Cheng
et al, 2003; Mohn et al, 2001). The main three mechanisms to remove oil contaminates are direct
absorption, releasing secretions and enzymes, stimulating microbial activity in the root area and
strengthening biological transformation. Studies have shown that the removal of most pollutants in the
plant’s root soil is mainly due to the degradation or transformation of microorganisms. On one hand, the
secretion released from the root system causes the bacterial enzyme system to secrete the degrading
enzyme, then directly stimulate the growth of degrading bacteria. On the other hand, the root system
grows and promotes the soil to form an effective water channel, which improves the permeability of the
soil (Child et al, 2007; Josiah, 2009; Roling, 2003).

In reality, because of the complex composition of petroleum pollutants, a single repair method often does
not work well. While the microbe-plant reparation is to use the complex system of soil-plant-
microorganisms to remove the pollutants, so it can degrade and remove the pollutants more efficiently.
For the interaction of microbes and plants often occurs in the root system, the key to this technology is the
rhizosphere regulation of oil pollutants. As for this method, the plants provide nutrients for
microorganisms through photosynthesis and casts, which contain sugar, alcohol, proteins and organic
acids, etc. The root secretion promotes the degradation of oil pollutants by microorganisms. At the same
time, the root extension not only provides the living place for the degrading bacteria, also promotes the
aerobic function of the root system smoothly.

Fig 2: phytoremediatiom

Plant-microbe remediation
14
In recent years, scholars at home and abroad have got some achievements on microbe-plant reparation
technology. Child (2009) used five kinds of PAHs-degrading bacterium to impregnate the barley seeds.
He discovered that the mycobacterium directly attached to the root system by seed germination,
improving the degradation rate of PAHs in the soil. Joner (2003) grew rye grass and white clover in two
different concentrations of PAHs, after 28 weeks it was found that the root biomass of arbuscular
mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) system was 1.65 times than before. The larger root biomass and surface area
are beneficial to the adsorption and absorption of organic matter. Domestically, Gao (2013) made use of
the combination of high efficient petroleum degradation bacteria and plants to repair the oil-heavy metal
pollution in Gudao oil province. This research had shown that the petroleum hydrocarbon degradation
rate of joint repair technology is significantly higher than that of single repair technology. Li (2013) used
suaeda, the local salt raw plant, and dominant mycorrhizal fungi in Dongying region to establish the
AMF-plant-nitrogen addition joint repair system. Through container experiments she found that the oil
degradation rates of AMF-Suaeda and CarbamideAMF-Suaeda increased significantly. To sum up, the
microbe-plant combination system can obviously improve the removal efficiency of petroleum pollutants
in the soil.

Fig:3 plant-microbial remediation

15
The following are advantages and limitations of three kinds of remediation technologies, shown in table
3.

Types Benefits limitation

Microbial remedation
Phytoremediation
Plant-microbe remediation
In-situ or ex-situ remediation Microbial activity is easy to be
cost diversified practice affected
In-situ remediation, low cost, Long period and inefficiency,
simple operation, purify the air some plant are sensitive to oil
and water, good for large area, facility, climate, water and
and low concentration salinity,ph plant disease and
contaminated soil. insect pest
In-situ remediation, efficiency, High cost and high
suitable for some persistent technology,easy to be affected
organic pollutants. by more factors.

Bioremediation has many benefits, but in actual application it’s vulnerable to the natural environmental
conditions, leading to unstable and regional repair efficiency. In addition, the microbes can’t degrade all
the pollutants in soil. The composition complexity of oil pollutants (oil-heavy metal compound pollution),
high refractory (the PAHs with high molecular weight, colloid and asphalt etc) and insolubility (such as
metal compounds, etc.) greatly enhanced the difficulties of petroleum remediation.

16
Conclusion

Petroleum hydrocarbons have devastating short-term and long term effects on soil, water as well as
human health. Petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil affect plant growth, and reduce yield of crop
from an agricultural region. Sometimes, agricultural lands become futile because of loss of fertility.
Petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated water affect flora and fauna of aquatic ecosystems. Oxygen
penetration is hampered and balance of marine ecosystem is ruined. As petroleum hydrocarbon is one of
the main sources of fuel in the current world, the use of its products cannot be neglected. Therefore,
cleanup of these worst pollutants is mandatory to keep environment safe and sound. However, petroleum
hydrocarbon is not readily degradable in natural environment. Various conventional methods include
physical and chemical techniques which are expensive and caused negative consequences. In such cases,
bioremediation is the most effective and suitable method to remove these pollutants from the
environment. A wide variety of microorganisms have the ability to degrade petroleum hydrocarbons and
completely mineralize them. Phytoremediation, bioaugmentation, biostimulation etc. are some other
useful bioremediation techniques to cleanup petroleum hydrocarbon from the environment.

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 Certification

This is to certify that this report was compiled by IYANUOLUWA OLATUNJI OLAYEMI with the
matric number AGE/15/2224 of the department of Agricultural engineering, School of Engineer and
Engineering Technology, Akure as a result of research on Effect of petroleum on soil and its remedy.

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STUDENT DATE

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SUPERVISOR DATE

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 ACKNOWLEGDEMENT

He who fails to acknowledge his fellow man will never acknowledge the creator. Therefore. All praises,
honors and adorations goes to the almighty God, the beginning and the end , the giver of wisdom, the
director of the day of judgment for his kindness on me towards the completion of this research work,
without him any effort in this work would have been fruitless.

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 DEDICATION

This research is dedicated to the almighty God, the embodiment of all wisdom and to my wonderful
parents Mr and Mrs Olatunji for their great support and encouragement.

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Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY 2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 3
Type chapter title (level 1) 4
Type chapter title (level 2) 5
Type chapter title (level 3) 6

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