Assessment of the physicochemical and microbiological status of western Niger Delta soil for crude oil pollution bioremediation potential

Abstract Background: Over the years, the issue of environmental degradation of ecological resources from crude oil pollution and its human health impacts is receiving more global attention. The utilization of environmental models capable of predicting the fate, transport and toxicity of chemicals in spilled crude oil can provide essential knowledge required to deal with the complexity associated with the fate of volatile petroleum chemicals in the environment. Objective: This paper explores environmental fate of toxic volatile organics from oil spill in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria.Methods: A critical analysis of available literatures/data from PubMed, Scopus, ResearchGate, Google Scholar, Jstor, including expert working group reports and environmental modeling using a screening tool (USEPA EPI Suite™) was carried out to determine the environmental partitioning of Benzene, Toluene and Naphthalene (BTN) respectively. The organic-carbon partitioning coefficient (Koc) was computed as a function of soil-water distribution coefficient (Kd) and percentage organic matter (%OM). This was utilized to determine the distribution of BTN in the environment and the possible risk posed on delicate ecological resources from crude oil pollution due to exploration and production activities within the Niger Delta Region (NDR), Nigeria. Results: Results from literature implicated sabotage and operational failures from pipelines as primary causes of crude oil spillages. Generation of a fugacity model using EPI Suite™ revealed that the behavior of BTN is greatly influenced by Koc values. The default Molecular Connectivity Index (MCI) showed that benzene and toluene will partition more into the water compartment while naphthalene will partition into the soil compartment. However, user-entered values showed all three chemicals partitioning more into the soil compartment. Aquatic toxicology estimation using Ecological Structural Activity Relationship (ECOSAR) revealed all chemicals not to be toxic even at over-estimated Koc values. Conclusion: This research established the usefulness of screening level environmental modelling tools in assessing environmental risk and hence helpful in developing site-specific models for monitoring chemicals in the environment which can assist governments, policy makers and industries in the design of appropriate regional disaster management plans.

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The effect of crude oil pollution and subsequent fire on the engineering properties of soils in the Niger Delta

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment ◽

10.1007/s10064-007-0089-y ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 67 (1) ◽

pp. 119-121 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

P. O. Youdeowei

Keyword(s):

Crude Oil ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

Engineering Properties ◽

Crude Oil Pollution

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Effect of Bonny Light Crude Oil Pollution of Soil on the Growth of dayflower (Commelina benghalensis L.) in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management ◽

10.4314/jasem.v10i2.43681 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

Author(s):

LA Daniel-Kalio ◽

SF Pepple

Keyword(s):

Crude Oil ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

Light Crude Oil ◽

Commelina Benghalensis ◽

Crude Oil Pollution

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Implications of crude oil pollution on natural regeneration of plant species in an oil-producing community in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Journal of Forestry Research ◽

10.1007/s11676-014-0538-y ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 25 (4) ◽

pp. 915-921 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

U. D. Chima ◽

G. Vure

Keyword(s):

Crude Oil ◽

Plant Species ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Natural Regeneration ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

Delta Region ◽

Crude Oil Pollution ◽

Niger Delta Region

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Chromatium species: an emerging bioindicator of crude oil pollution of tidal mud flats in the Niger Delta mangrove ecosystem, Nigeria

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment ◽

10.1007/s10661-008-0339-x ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 153 (1-4) ◽

pp. 95-102 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

J. P. Essien ◽

S. P. Antai

Keyword(s):

Crude Oil ◽

Niger Delta ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

Mangrove Ecosystem ◽

Crude Oil Pollution

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Changes of Heart Rate and Lipid Composition in Mytilus Edulis and Modiolus Modiolus Caused by Crude Oil Pollution and Low Salinity Effects

Journal of Xenobiotics ◽

10.3390/jox11020004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 46-60

Author(s):

Igor Bakhmet ◽

Natalia Fokina ◽

Tatiana Ruokolainen

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Crude Oil ◽

Mytilus Edulis ◽

Lipid Composition ◽

Oil Pollution ◽

Cardiac Activity ◽

Blue Mussels ◽

Low Salinity ◽

Crude Oil Pollution ◽

Modiolus Modiolus

Blue mussels, Mytilus edulis, inhabiting tidal zones, are naturally exposed to fluctuating environmental conditions (e.g., fluctuations in temperature and salinities), while horse mussels, Modiolus modiolus, live under relatively invariable shelf water conditions. The present investigation tested the hypothesis: blue mussels, in comparison to horse mussels, have an increased ability to tolerate the stress of pollution combined with low salinity. To assess the response of blue mussels and horse mussels to oil pollution at seawater salinities of 25 psu (normal) and 15 psu (low), we used a combination of heart rate and lipid composition as physiological and biochemical indicators, respectively. A sharp decrease in heart rate as well as important fluctuations in cardiac activity was observed under all oil concentrations. Modifications in the concentrations of the main membrane lipid classes (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and cholesterol) and storage lipids (primarily triacylglycerols) in response to different crude oil concentrations were time- and dose-dependent. Both chosen indicators showed a high sensitivity to crude oil contamination. Furthermore, both bivalve species showed similar responses to oil pollution, suggesting a universal mechanism for biochemical adaptation to crude oil pollution.

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