Abstract
The effectiveness of agricultural wastes as bioremediation materials is gaining research attention as a better option in mitigating the issue of crude oil effects in soil environment. In the present study, the growth performance of Telfairia occidentalis and Arachis hypogaea linn in crude oil polluted soil amended with plantain peels (PP) and cocoa pod husks (CPH) were investigated. Eight kilograms (8 kg) each of dried soil samples were collected and weighed into 60 polythene bags. The polythene bags except the pristine control were polluted with 80 ml of crude oil and allowed for 14 days of soil acclimatization. The treatments comprising of CPH and PP were amended after 14 days, using the following concentrations: 0, 100, 150 and 200 g and allowed to acclimatize for 60 days. T. occidentalis and A. hypogaea linn were cultivated immediately after treatment regimen. The pH of the amended and un-amended soil samples were observed to be at a range recommended for effective bioremediation of hydrocarbon polluted soil. The organic carbon content of the CPH amended soils were significantly reduced as compared to the PP amended soil. The phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and other essential soil parameters evaluated were significantly high (P<0.05) in CPH amended soil than the PP amended soil. Crops grown in the rehabilitated soils possess a high adaptability in CPH amended soil than the PP amended soil. The amendments most preferably cocoa pod husks which tend to be more effective in the reduction of hydrocarbon content of the soil should be utilized in the enhancement of microbial degradation of crude oil product in soils.
Key words: Crude oil, bioremediation, pollution, amendment, cocoa pod husk, plantain, groundnut, fluted pumpkin.
