Investigation into the Effectiveness of Bioagent-Enhanced Phytoremediation: A Case Study of Organic Soap and Charcoal

Abstract

This Study was aimed at the possibility of using sustainable materials in carrying out environmental remediation. The methodologies involved were collection of uncontaminated soil samples, impacting it with crude oil at a ratio of 8:2 (by mass proportion), and remediating the polluted soil with local soap solution and wood charcoal. Outcomes of the laboratory tests indicated that, the crude oil caused insignificant increment in the Lead “Pb”, Nickel “Ni” and Copper “Cu”, and the concentrations were higher than the WHO standard. Notably, the Pb concentration increased from 6.53 to 21.93 mg/kg; the Ni content increased from 7.67 to 18.57 mg/kg, and the Cu level surged from 2.80 to 18.98 mg/kg. Likewise, it was noted that the remediating materials were able to downgrade the heavy metals levels, and assisted the phytoremediation of the contaminated soil samples. The soil samples remediated with combined treatment regime had the maximum remediation efficiency, recording 63.5% reduction in the Pb concentration, 56.3% Ni reduction, and 84% reduction in the Cu concentration. These results have highlighted that phytoremediation of petroleum contaminated can be successfully enhanced, through the utilization of locally available material like organic soap and wood charcoal.