Kinetics study of biologically remediated crude oil polluted soil using a bacteria and fungi

Abstract

Abstract The effectiveness of remediating soils polluted with crude and treated hydrocarbon oil using a fungi - Aspergillus niger, bacteria - Pseudomonas aeruginosa and the combination of the two were investigated and the first order kinetics were studied. Eight systems of 500g soil sample were polluted with both raw and treated crude oil. Four systems were polluted with 100 ml treated crude oil while other remaining systems with same quantity of raw crude oil. Two systems with raw and treated crude oil were left as control (RCC and TCC). Samples of soil polluted with raw crude oil were amended with A. niger (RCA) and P. aeruginosa (RCP) respectively, while treated crude samples were also treated with same (TCA) and (TCP) only. The last two systems were treated with both P. aeruginosa and A. niger (RCAP and TCAP). First order bioremediation kinetics and biostimulant efficiency for these systems were studied by monitoring Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH). The result obtained at the end of the bioremediation period, revealed that treated crude oil polluted soil remediate faster and better than raw crude oil polluted soil. The highest level of bioremediation occurred in systems amended with both A. niger and P. aeruginosa which had about 98 % TPH decrease.