Study was performed to assess the knowledge of occupational hazards and safety practices among fo... more Study was performed to assess the knowledge of occupational hazards and safety practices among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria. A concurrent nested mixed design method was employed for this research. 314 formal and 314 informal waste collection workers were sampled for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire, observational checklists, clinical, laboratory measurements and a study guide. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to analyze the data collected from respondents. The finding showed that majority of the organized waste collection workers had an idea about the occupational hazards they are exposed to 206 (65.6%) compared to the informal waste collection workers 93 (29.6%) and the difference was statistically significant with p=0.001. This implies that only a few formal waste collectors and a little over ten percent of the informal wast...
International Journal of Environment and Climate Change
The study assessed the work-related and behavioral characteristics of formal and informal waste c... more The study assessed the work-related and behavioral characteristics of formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional design was employed for this study. 314 formal and 314 informal waste collection workers were sampled for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-designed pretested questionnaire, observational checklists, clinical, laboratory measurements and a study guide. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to analyze the data collected from respondents. The finding shows that at p = 0.05, the calculated chi-square value of 455.661 with the degree of freedom 92 was more than the critical chi-square value of 115.390. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, which states a significant difference in the work-related and behavioral characteristics among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State. However, t...
Background Artisanal refinery operations can produce a significant volume of air pollutants, amon... more Background Artisanal refinery operations can produce a significant volume of air pollutants, among which are carbon soot particulate matter. Although these operations are widespread, especially in developing countries, the impact of exposure to carbon soot particulate matter on both respiratory and reproductive health remains poorly understood. Objective In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of controlled exposure to carbon soot particulate matter on the respiratory and reproductive systems of male albino Wistar rats. To simulate the exposure conditions found in artisanal refineries, we developed an experimental setup where rats were exposed to different concentrations of carbon soot particulate matter for 28 days. Results Respiratory health was evaluated by examining the cytoarchitecture of the lungs and quantifying inflammatory markers, including Tumour-Necrosis-Factor alpha (TNF-α), as well as oxidative stress parameters such as Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Superoxide Dismu...
This research modelled the effect of pH on the remediation of crude oil-polluted soil using bioch... more This research modelled the effect of pH on the remediation of crude oil-polluted soil using biochar blend. The biochar blends, PL-500, pW-500, and RS-400, were made by pyrolyzing poultry litter, pine wood, and rice straw at varied temperatures and times. The pH of the crude oil polluted soil was 4.72. Response surface experimental design mixed biochar to remediate total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). Following 30 days of bioremediation, 15g PL-500, 3g PW-500 and 6g RS-400, removed a maximum of 46% TPH. The experimental data were statistically modelled and optimized using design expert software and response surface methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of each regression coefficient. Biochar blend improved soil pH to 6.9 following remediation. ANOVA indicated that PL-500 was significant for predicting TPH % degradation at p =0.0290, suggesting that its high pH, nutrient, and soil water conservation values made it more effective in remediating TPH...
The need for effective Medical Emergency Preparedness (MEP) systems in an offshore facility is of... more The need for effective Medical Emergency Preparedness (MEP) systems in an offshore facility is of great importance due to the high Health Safety and Environment (HSE) risks to Personnel on Board in the terrain. Despite the great strides recorded in Nigeria’s offshore oil and gas sector, little is known about the availability of a nationally constituted evaluation tool for offshore MEP systems in the oil and gas industry in Niger Delta. Hence, the call for a systematic national MEP framework based on the provisions of global best practices. This paper is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the MEP framework of three selected offshore (jack up) oil and gas platforms in the Niger Delta. Data were obtained using a standard checklist and self-structured questionnaire and a purposive sampling technique adopted from a population of selected three jack up rigs operating in Niger Delta. The analysis was conducted using analysis of variance at 95% confidence interval. The effectiveness le...
An assessment of the quality of groundwater in Ikorodu Local Government Area (LGA) was carried ou... more An assessment of the quality of groundwater in Ikorodu Local Government Area (LGA) was carried out in September 2020 (Late wet season). A total number of 29 samples were collected from different selected locations of the study area. The samples were collected from private and government bore holes. The pH, Total dissolved solids (TDS), Salinity, Turbidity, Hardness, Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), Chemical oxygen demand (COD), Phosphate, Nitrate, Sulphate, and Total bacterial count (TBC) were determined according to American Public Health Association (APHA) standard techniques. The results showed that the mean pH, TDS, Salinity, Turbidity, Hardness, BOD, COD, Phosphate, Nitrate, Sulphate, and TBC in the water samples were 7.0 ±0.59, 176.0 ±132.2mg/L, 0.14 ±0.11g/kg, 0.32 ±0.05 NTU, 59.58 ±34.89mg/L, 11.59 ±3.41mg/L, 14.90 ±4.18mg/L, 0.97 ±0.46mg/L, 2.62 ±1.27mg/L, 9.44 ±5.94mg/L, and 4.92 ±2.94 x 102 cfu/mL, respectively. The calculated Water quality index (WQI) of the different sa...
Petroleum hydrocarbon spill on land pollutes soil and reduces its ecosystem. Hydrocarbon transpor... more Petroleum hydrocarbon spill on land pollutes soil and reduces its ecosystem. Hydrocarbon transport in the soil is aided by several biological, physical, and chemical processes. However, pore characteristics play a major role in the distribution within the soil matrix. Restoring land use after spills necessitates remediation using cost-effective technologies. Several remediation technologies have been demonstrated at different scales, and research is ongoing to improve their performances towards the reduction of treatment costs. The process of removing the contaminants in the soil is through one or a combination of containment, separation, and degradation methods under the influence of biological, physical, chemical, and electrically-dominated processes. Generally, performance improvement is achieved through the introduction of products/materials and/or energy. Nevertheless, the technologies can be categorized based on effectiveness period as short, medium, and long term. The treatme...
Formaldehyde, a ubiquitous volatile organic compound, is used extensively in the manufacture of m... more Formaldehyde, a ubiquitous volatile organic compound, is used extensively in the manufacture of many products and processes across industries, yet little is known of its inherent risks in the occupations. Because of formaldehyde public health significance, many countries and regulatory agencies have issued guidelines, advisories, and regulations for its exposure. These permissible exposure limits are different for different countries and institutions, suggesting that there is currently no global agreement on what comprises safe formaldehyde exposure levels. Formaldehyde has a wide range of chronic toxicity effects affecting different cells, tissues and organs of the body including, but not limited to, neuronal, pulmonary, immunological, haematological, genetic and reproductive and developmental systems. It is also carcinogenic, nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic. Most of the mechanisms through which formaldehyde exerts its toxic effects are not clearly understood. Due to its global economi...
Every day, large quantities of chicken feathers are disposed of as waste at markets where birds a... more Every day, large quantities of chicken feathers are disposed of as waste at markets where birds are slaughtered and sold for meat. The possibility of using Chicken feather ash (CFA) as a partial replacement of cement in the concrete making was investigated. Water-cement ratio and percentage CFA used for replacement were chosen as variables in the design of the experiment. Compressive strength and workability were chosen as the required responses to observe and analyzed using response surface methodology. Full factorial design was used for the design of experiment, with CFA replacement and water-cement ratio ranging from 2 – 11% and 0.3 – 0.7 % by mass respectively. There were 27 trial mixes and the freshly made concrete mix was tested for workability. Concrete cubes were molded and cured for 7 and 14 days and were crushed to determine the compressive strength. It was found that as the CFA percentage increases, the workability of the concrete increases making it more fluid. The optim...
The present study examined the general causes of injuries, illnesses and fatalities among the wor... more The present study examined the general causes of injuries, illnesses and fatalities among the workforce in three industrial sectors located in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. A total of 663 copies of questionnaires were distributed for data collection among 11 sampled companies found in the Oil and Gas industries, Construction sector, Transportation and Logistics. In data collection, the purposive sampling technique was applied while XLSTAT 2016 version 4.06 statistical software package was employed for data analysis. The applied methodologies used for analyses of collected data, are the Friedman test used to examine variance among the various respondents’ groups; Multiple Pairwise comparisons (post hoc) of responses among the various sampled groups utilizing the Nemenyi’s procedure on two tailed test; Shapiro-Wilk test of Normality for determination of data type used for choice of analytical process to be applied for parametric and non-parametric data. Principal Component Analys...
The use of bacterial loads in clogged drainage systems for the bioremediation of petroleum hydroc... more The use of bacterial loads in clogged drainage systems for the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil was investigated. Soil samples were contaminated with diesel, engine oil and petrol. The contaminated soil samples were inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems and monitored for 56 days. Results obtained indicate that effective biodegradation process occurred in a neutral to slightly alkaline condition (pH 7.0 – 8.0) and temperature range of 27 to 29 o C. Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus cereus and Providencia species actively participated in the bioremediation process. The results on day 56 showed that the biodegradation of diesel, engine oil and petrol by the active bacteria were in the following order: Pseudomonas (92.39, 94.67 and 92.43%) > Micrococcus (88.29, 71.45 and 90.4%) > Acinetobacter (88.11, 31.0 and 87.8%) > Bacillus cereus (86.91, 28.37 and 87.73%) > Providencia (29.64, 28.25 and 87.67%)....
Sawmill noise induced hearing deterioration has been modelled using measured noise levels at sele... more Sawmill noise induced hearing deterioration has been modelled using measured noise levels at selected sawmills (Rumuosi, Ogbogoro and Mile 3) in Port Harcourt. Noise measurement was taken for one hour at six-minute interval using a Sound Level Meter and conducted three times daily (morning, afternoon and evening) for five days at each sawmill. Background noise at the studied sawmills ranged 53.68 – 56.92 dBA in the order of Mile 3 > Rumuosi > Ogbogoro. Equivalent continuous noise levels (Leq) ranged83.37 – 87.03 dBA (Rumuosi), 85.10 – 86.48dBA (Ogbogoro) and 85.38 – 86.46 dBA (Mile 3). Although these Leq values are less than the recommended standard of 90 dB per 8 hours daily, persistent exposure without ear protection could still result to devastating health effect on receptors. Thus, from the Leq results, hearing deterioration prediction models were developed for the three studied sawmills with coefficient of determination (R) range of 0.966 – 0.986 and p-value range of 0.99...
The illegal release of used engine oil (UEO) is an environmental hazard with global concerns. UEO... more The illegal release of used engine oil (UEO) is an environmental hazard with global concerns. UEO contains heavy metals and hydrocarbons that could modify soil properties and gradually destroy soil usefulness. Thus, soil contaminated with UEO requires remediation to restore its usefulness. In this study, the biodegradation of UEO in soil was examined and modeled. Soil samples were contaminated with UEO and inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems for 56 days. Experimental results indicated that Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Bacillus cereus, Providencia and Acinetobacter species actively participated in the biodegradation process. The percentage reduction of UEO was statistically highly significant (p<0.05) for all five bacterial species and found to be in the following order: Pseudomonas (94.67%) > Micrococcus (71.45%) > Bacillus cereus (31.00%) > Providencia (28.37%) > Acinetobacter (28.25%). The biodegradation data complied with first-ord...
The contamination of soil with petroleum products is a major environmental issue. The widespread ... more The contamination of soil with petroleum products is a major environmental issue. The widespread application of diesel in human activities makes it one of the most hazardous petroleum products. Among the available remediation methods, bioremediation has become the main choice for petroleum products contaminated site recovery due to its cost-effectiveness and environmental-friendliness. In this study, the bioremediation of diesel contaminated soil by bacteria from clogged drainage was examined and modeled. Soil samples were contaminated with diesel and inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems for 56 days. Experimental results indicated that Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus cereus and Providencia species actively participated in the bioremediation process. The percentage reduction of diesel was statistically highly significant (p<0.05) for all five bacterial species and found to be in the following order: Pseudomonas (92.39%) > Ac...
Laboratory batch microcosm experiments were conduct e to quantify the impact of soil organic matt... more Laboratory batch microcosm experiments were conduct e to quantify the impact of soil organic matter (SOM) on the sorption and phase distribution of 20% ethanol-blended gasoline (E20) in the vadose zone. SOM was found to increase the sorption of all E20 gasoline compounds, thereby altering their mass distribution between the vadose zone phases. T his impact, quantified by the sorption coefficient (Kd) of E20 gasoline compounds, increased with decreas ing hydrophobicity, hence affected the aromatics to a greater extent of 7 times than the c ycloalkanes (4 times) and the alkanes (2 times). However, when compared with unblended gasoline, the e anol in E20 generally reduced the sorptive capability of SOM for gasoline compounds by a maxim um of 76% for the cycloalkanes, 73% for the aromatics and 60% for the alkanes.Therefore, the fu ll sorptive capability of SOM for gasoline compounds is unlikely to be realized for E20 gasoli ne compounds.
Study was performed to assess the knowledge of occupational hazards and safety practices among fo... more Study was performed to assess the knowledge of occupational hazards and safety practices among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria. A concurrent nested mixed design method was employed for this research. 314 formal and 314 informal waste collection workers were sampled for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a pretested questionnaire, observational checklists, clinical, laboratory measurements and a study guide. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to analyze the data collected from respondents. The finding showed that majority of the organized waste collection workers had an idea about the occupational hazards they are exposed to 206 (65.6%) compared to the informal waste collection workers 93 (29.6%) and the difference was statistically significant with p=0.001. This implies that only a few formal waste collectors and a little over ten percent of the informal wast...
International Journal of Environment and Climate Change
The study assessed the work-related and behavioral characteristics of formal and informal waste c... more The study assessed the work-related and behavioral characteristics of formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional design was employed for this study. 314 formal and 314 informal waste collection workers were sampled for the study using a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using a self-designed pretested questionnaire, observational checklists, clinical, laboratory measurements and a study guide. Data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21 to analyze the data collected from respondents. The finding shows that at p = 0.05, the calculated chi-square value of 455.661 with the degree of freedom 92 was more than the critical chi-square value of 115.390. Thus, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternative hypothesis is accepted, which states a significant difference in the work-related and behavioral characteristics among formal and informal waste collectors in Rivers State. However, t...
Background Artisanal refinery operations can produce a significant volume of air pollutants, amon... more Background Artisanal refinery operations can produce a significant volume of air pollutants, among which are carbon soot particulate matter. Although these operations are widespread, especially in developing countries, the impact of exposure to carbon soot particulate matter on both respiratory and reproductive health remains poorly understood. Objective In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of controlled exposure to carbon soot particulate matter on the respiratory and reproductive systems of male albino Wistar rats. To simulate the exposure conditions found in artisanal refineries, we developed an experimental setup where rats were exposed to different concentrations of carbon soot particulate matter for 28 days. Results Respiratory health was evaluated by examining the cytoarchitecture of the lungs and quantifying inflammatory markers, including Tumour-Necrosis-Factor alpha (TNF-α), as well as oxidative stress parameters such as Malondialdehyde (MDA) and Superoxide Dismu...
This research modelled the effect of pH on the remediation of crude oil-polluted soil using bioch... more This research modelled the effect of pH on the remediation of crude oil-polluted soil using biochar blend. The biochar blends, PL-500, pW-500, and RS-400, were made by pyrolyzing poultry litter, pine wood, and rice straw at varied temperatures and times. The pH of the crude oil polluted soil was 4.72. Response surface experimental design mixed biochar to remediate total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). Following 30 days of bioremediation, 15g PL-500, 3g PW-500 and 6g RS-400, removed a maximum of 46% TPH. The experimental data were statistically modelled and optimized using design expert software and response surface methods. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to determine the significance of each regression coefficient. Biochar blend improved soil pH to 6.9 following remediation. ANOVA indicated that PL-500 was significant for predicting TPH % degradation at p =0.0290, suggesting that its high pH, nutrient, and soil water conservation values made it more effective in remediating TPH...
The need for effective Medical Emergency Preparedness (MEP) systems in an offshore facility is of... more The need for effective Medical Emergency Preparedness (MEP) systems in an offshore facility is of great importance due to the high Health Safety and Environment (HSE) risks to Personnel on Board in the terrain. Despite the great strides recorded in Nigeria’s offshore oil and gas sector, little is known about the availability of a nationally constituted evaluation tool for offshore MEP systems in the oil and gas industry in Niger Delta. Hence, the call for a systematic national MEP framework based on the provisions of global best practices. This paper is aimed at assessing the effectiveness of the MEP framework of three selected offshore (jack up) oil and gas platforms in the Niger Delta. Data were obtained using a standard checklist and self-structured questionnaire and a purposive sampling technique adopted from a population of selected three jack up rigs operating in Niger Delta. The analysis was conducted using analysis of variance at 95% confidence interval. The effectiveness le...
An assessment of the quality of groundwater in Ikorodu Local Government Area (LGA) was carried ou... more An assessment of the quality of groundwater in Ikorodu Local Government Area (LGA) was carried out in September 2020 (Late wet season). A total number of 29 samples were collected from different selected locations of the study area. The samples were collected from private and government bore holes. The pH, Total dissolved solids (TDS), Salinity, Turbidity, Hardness, Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), Chemical oxygen demand (COD), Phosphate, Nitrate, Sulphate, and Total bacterial count (TBC) were determined according to American Public Health Association (APHA) standard techniques. The results showed that the mean pH, TDS, Salinity, Turbidity, Hardness, BOD, COD, Phosphate, Nitrate, Sulphate, and TBC in the water samples were 7.0 ±0.59, 176.0 ±132.2mg/L, 0.14 ±0.11g/kg, 0.32 ±0.05 NTU, 59.58 ±34.89mg/L, 11.59 ±3.41mg/L, 14.90 ±4.18mg/L, 0.97 ±0.46mg/L, 2.62 ±1.27mg/L, 9.44 ±5.94mg/L, and 4.92 ±2.94 x 102 cfu/mL, respectively. The calculated Water quality index (WQI) of the different sa...
Petroleum hydrocarbon spill on land pollutes soil and reduces its ecosystem. Hydrocarbon transpor... more Petroleum hydrocarbon spill on land pollutes soil and reduces its ecosystem. Hydrocarbon transport in the soil is aided by several biological, physical, and chemical processes. However, pore characteristics play a major role in the distribution within the soil matrix. Restoring land use after spills necessitates remediation using cost-effective technologies. Several remediation technologies have been demonstrated at different scales, and research is ongoing to improve their performances towards the reduction of treatment costs. The process of removing the contaminants in the soil is through one or a combination of containment, separation, and degradation methods under the influence of biological, physical, chemical, and electrically-dominated processes. Generally, performance improvement is achieved through the introduction of products/materials and/or energy. Nevertheless, the technologies can be categorized based on effectiveness period as short, medium, and long term. The treatme...
Formaldehyde, a ubiquitous volatile organic compound, is used extensively in the manufacture of m... more Formaldehyde, a ubiquitous volatile organic compound, is used extensively in the manufacture of many products and processes across industries, yet little is known of its inherent risks in the occupations. Because of formaldehyde public health significance, many countries and regulatory agencies have issued guidelines, advisories, and regulations for its exposure. These permissible exposure limits are different for different countries and institutions, suggesting that there is currently no global agreement on what comprises safe formaldehyde exposure levels. Formaldehyde has a wide range of chronic toxicity effects affecting different cells, tissues and organs of the body including, but not limited to, neuronal, pulmonary, immunological, haematological, genetic and reproductive and developmental systems. It is also carcinogenic, nephrotoxic and hepatotoxic. Most of the mechanisms through which formaldehyde exerts its toxic effects are not clearly understood. Due to its global economi...
Every day, large quantities of chicken feathers are disposed of as waste at markets where birds a... more Every day, large quantities of chicken feathers are disposed of as waste at markets where birds are slaughtered and sold for meat. The possibility of using Chicken feather ash (CFA) as a partial replacement of cement in the concrete making was investigated. Water-cement ratio and percentage CFA used for replacement were chosen as variables in the design of the experiment. Compressive strength and workability were chosen as the required responses to observe and analyzed using response surface methodology. Full factorial design was used for the design of experiment, with CFA replacement and water-cement ratio ranging from 2 – 11% and 0.3 – 0.7 % by mass respectively. There were 27 trial mixes and the freshly made concrete mix was tested for workability. Concrete cubes were molded and cured for 7 and 14 days and were crushed to determine the compressive strength. It was found that as the CFA percentage increases, the workability of the concrete increases making it more fluid. The optim...
The present study examined the general causes of injuries, illnesses and fatalities among the wor... more The present study examined the general causes of injuries, illnesses and fatalities among the workforce in three industrial sectors located in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. A total of 663 copies of questionnaires were distributed for data collection among 11 sampled companies found in the Oil and Gas industries, Construction sector, Transportation and Logistics. In data collection, the purposive sampling technique was applied while XLSTAT 2016 version 4.06 statistical software package was employed for data analysis. The applied methodologies used for analyses of collected data, are the Friedman test used to examine variance among the various respondents’ groups; Multiple Pairwise comparisons (post hoc) of responses among the various sampled groups utilizing the Nemenyi’s procedure on two tailed test; Shapiro-Wilk test of Normality for determination of data type used for choice of analytical process to be applied for parametric and non-parametric data. Principal Component Analys...
The use of bacterial loads in clogged drainage systems for the bioremediation of petroleum hydroc... more The use of bacterial loads in clogged drainage systems for the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil was investigated. Soil samples were contaminated with diesel, engine oil and petrol. The contaminated soil samples were inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems and monitored for 56 days. Results obtained indicate that effective biodegradation process occurred in a neutral to slightly alkaline condition (pH 7.0 – 8.0) and temperature range of 27 to 29 o C. Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus cereus and Providencia species actively participated in the bioremediation process. The results on day 56 showed that the biodegradation of diesel, engine oil and petrol by the active bacteria were in the following order: Pseudomonas (92.39, 94.67 and 92.43%) > Micrococcus (88.29, 71.45 and 90.4%) > Acinetobacter (88.11, 31.0 and 87.8%) > Bacillus cereus (86.91, 28.37 and 87.73%) > Providencia (29.64, 28.25 and 87.67%)....
Sawmill noise induced hearing deterioration has been modelled using measured noise levels at sele... more Sawmill noise induced hearing deterioration has been modelled using measured noise levels at selected sawmills (Rumuosi, Ogbogoro and Mile 3) in Port Harcourt. Noise measurement was taken for one hour at six-minute interval using a Sound Level Meter and conducted three times daily (morning, afternoon and evening) for five days at each sawmill. Background noise at the studied sawmills ranged 53.68 – 56.92 dBA in the order of Mile 3 > Rumuosi > Ogbogoro. Equivalent continuous noise levels (Leq) ranged83.37 – 87.03 dBA (Rumuosi), 85.10 – 86.48dBA (Ogbogoro) and 85.38 – 86.46 dBA (Mile 3). Although these Leq values are less than the recommended standard of 90 dB per 8 hours daily, persistent exposure without ear protection could still result to devastating health effect on receptors. Thus, from the Leq results, hearing deterioration prediction models were developed for the three studied sawmills with coefficient of determination (R) range of 0.966 – 0.986 and p-value range of 0.99...
The illegal release of used engine oil (UEO) is an environmental hazard with global concerns. UEO... more The illegal release of used engine oil (UEO) is an environmental hazard with global concerns. UEO contains heavy metals and hydrocarbons that could modify soil properties and gradually destroy soil usefulness. Thus, soil contaminated with UEO requires remediation to restore its usefulness. In this study, the biodegradation of UEO in soil was examined and modeled. Soil samples were contaminated with UEO and inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems for 56 days. Experimental results indicated that Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Bacillus cereus, Providencia and Acinetobacter species actively participated in the biodegradation process. The percentage reduction of UEO was statistically highly significant (p<0.05) for all five bacterial species and found to be in the following order: Pseudomonas (94.67%) > Micrococcus (71.45%) > Bacillus cereus (31.00%) > Providencia (28.37%) > Acinetobacter (28.25%). The biodegradation data complied with first-ord...
The contamination of soil with petroleum products is a major environmental issue. The widespread ... more The contamination of soil with petroleum products is a major environmental issue. The widespread application of diesel in human activities makes it one of the most hazardous petroleum products. Among the available remediation methods, bioremediation has become the main choice for petroleum products contaminated site recovery due to its cost-effectiveness and environmental-friendliness. In this study, the bioremediation of diesel contaminated soil by bacteria from clogged drainage was examined and modeled. Soil samples were contaminated with diesel and inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems for 56 days. Experimental results indicated that Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus cereus and Providencia species actively participated in the bioremediation process. The percentage reduction of diesel was statistically highly significant (p<0.05) for all five bacterial species and found to be in the following order: Pseudomonas (92.39%) > Ac...
Laboratory batch microcosm experiments were conduct e to quantify the impact of soil organic matt... more Laboratory batch microcosm experiments were conduct e to quantify the impact of soil organic matter (SOM) on the sorption and phase distribution of 20% ethanol-blended gasoline (E20) in the vadose zone. SOM was found to increase the sorption of all E20 gasoline compounds, thereby altering their mass distribution between the vadose zone phases. T his impact, quantified by the sorption coefficient (Kd) of E20 gasoline compounds, increased with decreas ing hydrophobicity, hence affected the aromatics to a greater extent of 7 times than the c ycloalkanes (4 times) and the alkanes (2 times). However, when compared with unblended gasoline, the e anol in E20 generally reduced the sorptive capability of SOM for gasoline compounds by a maxim um of 76% for the cycloalkanes, 73% for the aromatics and 60% for the alkanes.Therefore, the fu ll sorptive capability of SOM for gasoline compounds is unlikely to be realized for E20 gasoli ne compounds.
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