Vermiremediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil for Application as Highway Subgrade Material
Abstract
This research investigated the effectiveness of vermiremediation using Eudrilus eugeniaen to treat crude oil contaminated soil for potential use as subgrade material. Five soil samples were analyzed: natural soil, contaminated soil with zero number of earthworms (control) and contaminated soil with 10, 20 and 30 earthworms each contaminated with 75cl of crude oil per 10kg of soil respectively with the exception of the natural soil. The earthworms were then introduced into the soil samples after 24hrs of contamination and left for over a period of 16 weeks, moisture, feeding was maintained with leaves and plant roots. Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH), soil pH, soil texture and nutrient level were assessed before and after treatment. The initial total petroleum hydrocarbon present in the contaminated soil sample was 40,400 mg/kg. After remediation, TPH was reduced to 25,200mg/kg (37.62%) with 10 earthworms, 21,600mg/kg (46.53%) with 20 earthworms and 220,800mg/kg (48.51%) with 30 earthworms, making a total reduction of 19,600mg/kg. Geotechnical properties were conducted. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Analysis was also carried out on the contaminated soil sample and sample with 30 numbers of earthworms using BSH energy level. The study concluded that Eudrilus eugeniae shows potential for remediating crude oil contaminated soil achieving 48.51% level for 30 numbers of earthworms. Therefore, future research should explore higher earthworms’ densities and utilize British standard heavy (BSH) compaction energy for shear strength tests to order to align with the requirement of federal ministry of works and housing general specification for road and bridges.
Keywords
Vermiremediation, Crude Oil Contaminated Soil, Highway Subgrade Material, Geotechnical Properties, Endrullis Eugeniae, Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH)
Citations
IRE Journals:
Abdulsalam Abdulhadi Bala , John E. Sani , Ishaku Matudi Victor , George Moses
"Vermiremediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil for Application as Highway Subgrade Material" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 1 2025 Page 916-928
IEEE:
Abdulsalam Abdulhadi Bala , John E. Sani , Ishaku Matudi Victor , George Moses
"Vermiremediation of Crude Oil Contaminated Soil for Application as Highway Subgrade Material" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(1)
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