UZOCHUKWU ANGELA N PG/MSc/11/60859 BIOREMEDIATION OF OIL SPILL POLLUTED SOIL USING OYESTA MUSHROOMS (FUNGI) IN ELEME, RIVERS STATE CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL (CEMAC) Digitally Signed by: Content manager’s Name DN : CN = Webmaster’s name Azuka Ijomah O= University of Nigeria, Nsukka OU = Innovation Centre 1 UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, ENUGU CAMPUS CENTRE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL (CEMAC) TOPIC BIOREMEDIATION OF OIL SPILL POLLUTED SOIL USING OYESTA MUSHROOMS (FUNGI) IN ELEME, RIVERS STATE A PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE COURSE: EMC 651 (PROJECT) BY UZOCHUKWU ANGELA N PG/MSc/11/60859 SUPERVISOR: DR K.C. OGBOI MAY,2014 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Background of Study 1.3 Statement of Problem 1.4 Aim and Objective 1.5 Research Question 1.6 Research hypothesis 1.7 Scope of Study 1.8 Limitations 1.9 Study Justification/Significance Chapter Two 2.1 Conceptual Framework 2.2 Bioremediation (everything) 2.3 Definition of Parameters like oyesta mushroom, biored, oil sp microbes, P H, conductivities, Nitrogen etc K.PO 4 Nitrogen, Particle Size, Potassium, Total hydrocarbon, particle size Chapter Three 3.1 Review of Related literature 3.2 Theoretical framework 3.3 Empirical Framework Chapter Four Study area History people and culture Location Geographical Area Weather Climate Ecological Problems Vegetation etc 3 ABSTRACT Bioremediation potential of oyster mushroom on crude oil impacted soil , in Eleme, Port- Hacourt Rivers State was studied following laboratory analysis of the soil sample for nutrient composition (N,K,PO4), total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH), and soil textural composition, prior to , and after treatment with the oyster mushroom . Reference sample soil was analyzed for the same parameters. Soil samples were collected from the oil impacted soil every 4th day for 28 days of the bioremediation excercise . The crude oil impacted soil recorded a pH of 7.26 , electrical conductivity of 102.58us/cm , Nitrogen content of 0.28%, Phosphate content of 1.08ppm and Potassium content of 4.86ppm. The total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was 284.65mg/kg. Post treatment analysis of the soil sample showed significant improvement in the nutrient compositions (N,0.98%, K,10.99ppm, PO4,3.08ppm) , reduction of the electrical conductivity and TPH(con,30.22, TPH, 20.42mg/kg). There were also improvements in the soil textural compositions. When the post treatment analytical values were compared with those of the reference soil , result showed significant closeness of the two values. The research proved that the oyster mushroom is a good bioremediating agent that should be explored and exploited in the management of oil polluted site. 4 CHAPTER ONE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY Bioremediation refers to the use of microorganisms to degrade contaminants that pose environmental and especially human risks. Due to its safety and convenience, it has become an accepted remedy for cleaning of soil and water pollutants. Bioremediation processes typically involve many different microbe acting in parallel or sequence to complete the degradation process. The ability of microbe to degrade a vast array of pollutants makes bioremediation a technology that can be applied in different soil conditions. A widely used approach to bioremediation involves stimulating a group of organisms in order to shift the microbial ecology toward the desired process. This is termed. “Biostimulation.” Biostimulation can be achieved through change in pH, moisture, aeration, or nutrient additions. The other widely used approach is termed “Bioaugmentation” where organisms selected for high degradation abilities are used to inoculate the contaminated site. These two approaches are not mutually exclusive- they can be used simultaneously. Eleme is a community in River State, one of the oil producing and agro-ecological areas in the Niger-Delta region of Nigeria, a region with abundant natural resources including good weather and fertile land for agriculture. Although the level of agriculture production in that region is very low given the abundant resources endowment, it is the largest oil producing zone in the country. It is the base of Nigerian oil and gas industry, generating over 90% of the nation’s economy (Odjuvwlederhie et al, 2006). Oil exploration and activities have been concentrated in this Niger- Delta region which has over 1000 production oil-wells and over 47,000km of oil and gas flow lines (Ngobiri et al., 2007). The negative impacts of these oil activities include destruction of wild life, loss of fertile soil, pollution of air and water and damage to the ecosystem of the host communities (Aghlino, 2000). The ecological problems observed as a result of oil spill include a brownish vegetation and soil erosion, diminishing resources of the natural ecosystem, fertile land turned barren and adverse effect on the life, health and economy of the people (Roberts, 1997). 5 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS Oil spill is an unintentional release of liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment as a result of human activities. They are usually mostly caused by accidents involving oil tankers, barges, refineries, pipelines and oil storage facilities. These accidents can be caused by human mistakes or carelessness, deliberate acts by terrorist, militants or vandals and sometimes by natural disasters such as earthquakes. In Nigeria, the major cause of oil spill is lack of regular maintenance of the principles and storage tanks. Most pipelines from the flow station are absolutely being more than 20 years old making them subject to corrosion and leakage. Some of these pipes are laid above ground level without adequate surveillance, exposing them to wear and tear and other dangers (Oyem, 2001). Another major cause of oil spill here is sabotage which involves bunkering by some unpatriotic Nigerians. They damage pipelines in the attempt to steal oil from them. According to the annual report of the Department of Petroleum Resources, Abuja (1997), over 60000 spills have occurred in Nigeria during her 40 years of oil exploration. Between 1979 and 1996, the spill of 2.4x10 barrels of crude oil occurred from 647 incidents. Only 54706038 barrels were of oil recovered while 182040666 barrels were lost to the ecosystem. The growth of oil industry combined with population explosion and a lack of environmental regulations have caused substantial damage to the environment of the Niger Delta. After several years of ignoring or giving little or no attention to the adverse effect of oil spill, the Federal Government of Nigeria along with the oil companies operating in the Niger Delta have began to take steps to mitigate the damages. The role of the environmental agency in checking and documenting oil-spills is getting stronger as the new wave of combating oil spill through phytoremediation in dramatically unfolding in the remediation industry. In Rivers State several incidents of oil spillage have occurred in the last few decades. One of the major oil producing communities that has suffered the incidence of oil spill is Eleme. The spill incidents that have occurred in Eleme include the following: 6 1. Oil spill in Ogale due to pipeline vandalism that occurred in 2009. The resultant water pollution has deprived the residents of the community their sources of livelihood as their sources of potable water and farmlands were highly polluted. 2. Oil spill from the Okogbe tank truck explosion on 12 July 2012 which claims the life of 92 peoples who were scooping up spilled petrol, when the tanker caught fire. 3. The several incidents of oil spill in Ogali and Agbonchia that drastically contaminated the soil in the communities. In response the remedial actions that have been carried out to mitigate or clean up oil spill in soil and rivers of Eleme community are:- 1. The use of skimmers to adsorb spilled oil accumulated on the river surface. There were polyethylene mop like pads which were placed on water surface of the affected rivers. 2. In-situ burns of spilled oil (slicks) on water surface – this was done in controlled delineated areas by fire resistant booms. 3. Spray of chemical dispersants from planes into the oil slicks on top of the river water – in order to break down the oil into small droplets which are more susceptible to natural degradation. 4. Scrapping of the top soil to remove contaminated areas. Meanwhile the gaps and inadequacies that that arose from the application of the measures stated above are as follows: 1. The clean up method above affects air quality through the smoke and residuals 2. Some heavy crude oil compounds are left behind (they do not burn well) such as sticky asphaltenes from which road tars are made. 3. It has indicated that applying dispersants has toxic effects on coral reefs and other marine life. 7 4. Also scrapping of the stop of soil degrades the soil by removing the nutrients for plant growth and removes the fertility of the soil and renders it unsuitable for agriculture. 5. Introduction of contaminant to the soil This therefore, requires that more suitable and environment friendly methods should be developed and applied in the Niger Delta. This study examines the application of bio- remediation as an alternative for oil spill clean up in the region. 1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY The aim of this research is to examine the effectiveness of bioremediation in the oil spill contaminated soil using Oyesta Mushrooms (fungi) in Eleme Community in the Niger Delta. sss In order to achieve the aim , the specific objectives of the study are as follows: 1. To determine the nature and extent of damage caused by oil spill on the quality of the soil in Eleme community 2. To demonstrate the treatment of contaminated soil using Oyesta Mushrooms (fungi) 3.