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Comparative Effects of Bone Char, Spent-Palm-bunch, and NPK Biodegradation Treatment on Total Hydrocarbon Content (THC) of Crude-oil Polluted Soil
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Environmental Engineering, soil Bioremediation
Abstract
This study comparatively evaluated the efficacy of two organic amendments: bone char and spent palm bunch (SPB), against conventional NPK (20:10:10) fertilizer and natural attenuation in reducing total hydrocarbon content (THC) in crude oil-polluted soil over a 10-week incubation period, across application rates ranging from 0.5 to 14.0 kg. After contamination with THC from an initial concentration of 38 mg/kg in unpolluted soil to 23,560 mg/kg, soil acidification and a decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus availability were detected. All amendments produced statistically significant THC reductions relative to the unamended control (p < 0.05). Bone char achieved the fastest degradation kinetics, with a first-order rate constant of 0.021 day⁻¹, a half-life of 33.01 days, and biostimulation efficiency of 79.37% at 6.5 kg application, outperforming both NPK (half-life ≈ 57.76 days) and SPB (half-life ≈ 99.02 days). The highest degradation efficiency was observed at intermediate application rates, which did not increase linearly with the dosage, indicating an optimal nutrient threshold. Total THC degradation was below 25% in all treatments within the study period. These results identify bone char as a highly effective, low-cost alternative to inorganic fertilization for accelerating hydrocarbon bioremediation in tropical, petroleum-impacted soils, with implications for scalable, field-level restoration practice.
Keywords
Total Hydrocarbon Content, Crude Oil-Polluted Soil, Bioremediation, Bone Char, Spent Palm-Bunch, Inorganic Fertilizer.
References
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How to cite this paper
@article{1723251,
author = {Ekene Nwude, Afam Anthony Nwude, Ipeghan J. Otaraku},
title = {Comparative Effects of Bone Char, Spent-Palm-bunch, and NPK Biodegradation Treatment on Total Hydrocarbon Content (THC) of Crude-oil Polluted Soil},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {3},
pages = {2901-2917},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1723251.pdf},
abstract = {This study comparatively evaluated the efficacy of two organic amendments: bone char and spent palm bunch (SPB), against conventional NPK (20:10:10) fertilizer and natural attenuation in reducing total hydrocarbon content (THC) in crude oil-polluted soil over a 10-week incubation period, across application rates ranging from 0.5 to 14.0 kg. After contamination with THC from an initial concentration of 38 mg/kg in unpolluted soil to 23,560 mg/kg, soil acidification and a decrease in nitrogen and phosphorus availability were detected. All amendments produced statistically significant THC reductions relative to the unamended control (p < 0.05). Bone char achieved the fastest degradation kinetics, with a first-order rate constant of 0.021 day⁻¹, a half-life of 33.01 days, and biostimulation efficiency of 79.37% at 6.5 kg application, outperforming both NPK (half-life ≈ 57.76 days) and SPB (half-life ≈ 99.02 days). The highest degradation efficiency was observed at intermediate application rates, which did not increase linearly with the dosage, indicating an optimal nutrient threshold. Total THC degradation was below 25% in all treatments within the study period. These results identify bone char as a highly effective, low-cost alternative to inorganic fertilization for accelerating hydrocarbon bioremediation in tropical, petroleum-impacted soils, with implications for scalable, field-level restoration practice.},
keywords = {Total Hydrocarbon Content, Crude Oil-Polluted Soil, Bioremediation, Bone Char, Spent Palm-Bunch, Inorganic Fertilizer.},
month = {September},
}