Phytoremediation of crude oil contaminated soil using Chrysopogon zizanioides

Suleiman Saidu, Suleiman (2023). Phytoremediation of crude oil contaminated soil using Chrysopogon zizanioides. University of Birmingham. Ph.D.

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Abstract

Oil spills pollute the environment, which affects human health and the ecosystem due to the presence of harmful substances such as petroleum hydrocarbons. We investigated the efficiency of biosurfactants 95% Di-Rhamnolipid and 95% Mono-Rhamnolipid in extracting total petroleum and hydrocarbons (TPH) from crude oil-contaminated soil using mild shaking. The capacity of Chrysopogonzizanioides to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) while being influenced by fertiliser and biosurfactant was also investigated. The results showed that 61% and 53.1% of TPH were removed by 95% di-Rhamnolipid and 95% mono-Rhamnolipid, respectively. The combined effect of fertiliser and biosurfactant resulted in the highest reduction of PAHs compared to fertiliser alone, biosurfactant alone, and the controls. The results suggest that fertiliser application promoted the growth of C. zizanioides and root turnover, which in turn increased the soil organic matter (SOM). The impact of biosurfactant, which solubilised the pollutants, may have facilitated the sorption, immobilisation, and degradation of the HMW PAHs in the soil. The results have also shown that the growth of the plants in soils treated with fertiliser alone, which was 63.4 cm, was slightly higher than that of plants grown in soils treated with a combination of fertiliser and biosurfactant, which was 56.9 cm. However, the combined effect of fertiliser and biosurfactant was most effective in removing 86% of TPH from the oil-contaminated soil. The results suggest that the combined effect of fertiliser and biosurfactant can potentially be used to aid the phytoremediation of crude oil-contaminated soil.

Type of Work:

Thesis (Doctorates > Ph.D.)

Award Type:

Doctorates > Ph.D.

Supervisor(s):