African Journal of
Environmental Science and Technology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0786
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJEST
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 1126

Full Length Research Paper

An exploratory study of the impact of commingled biochar on removal of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) from crude oil polluted soil

Daniel Hogan Itam
  • Daniel Hogan Itam
  • Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Calabar, Nigeria.
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Ako Hogan Itam
  • Ako Hogan Itam
  • Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medical Sciences, University of Calabar, Nigeria.
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Udeh Ngozi Uzor
  • Udeh Ngozi Uzor
  • Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, P.M.B 5323, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
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Ejikeme Ugwoha
  • Ejikeme Ugwoha
  • Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Port Harcourt, Choba, P.M.B 5323, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
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  •  Received: 06 June 2023
  •  Accepted: 31 July 2023
  •  Published: 31 August 2023

Abstract

An experimental scrutinization of bioremediation of crude oil polluted soil using furnace pyrolyzed comingled-biochar containing poultry litter, pine wood and rice straw char made at different proportions was carried out in the present study. The experiment was performed in five stages which include soil investigation, biochar production, characterization, and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) remediation via green house. The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate the impact of biochar blend on TPH removal. The result showed that the efficiency of bioremediation was affected significantly by the acidic soil.  Therefore, the commingled biochar seems promising in remediation of crude oil polluted soil and addition to soil nutrient. The highest TPH removal (46.74) was found in experimental run 12, which also had the highest level of independent variables (15 g of poultry litter-PL, 6 g of rice straw-RS, and 3 g of pine wood-PW char). This suggests that PL is more effective in the biochar mix than RS and PW. However, the efficiency of biochar-blended cleanup of soil varied depending on the biochar source and pyrolysis process as captured in the design of experiment using response surface methodology (RSM) via design expert. Biochar blend application to soils allows the development of microbial communities which are particularly important for nutrient cycling which leads to bio-stimulation enhancing the removal of TPH.

 

Key words: Biochar blend; furnace pyrolysis; bioremediation; crude oil polluted soil; experiment.

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This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0

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