ABSTRACT

Scientist and environmentalist all over the world today arc fucig a big challenge if overcoming the detrimental-scale I effects of the contamination of soil, air and water by large-scale oil spills on soil air and water by large scale oil spills on the soil through leakage of pipelines, mainly underground and surface fuel storage tanks, indiscriminate spills and careless disposal and mismanagement of wastes and other petroleum by-products of the society constitutes the major source of petroleum contamination in our environment. It has become a topic of interest and attracted increasing attention because of the carcinogenic, mutagcnic and toxic effects (A. Ribes ci cii., 2003, D Frcitag et al., 1985, Department of environmental conservation- December, 1 992). 1-ugh concentration levels of hydrocarbon present in contaminated sites could POSC a health risk to humans, plants and animal lives. Today, the release of hazardous and toxic substances into the soil' water sediment and air in Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) is widely spreading (C.M.A. Iwebguc et al 2007, M.A. Chukwujindu, et al 1999, Ekundango E.O, cial., 2004, P.C. Omanwa ci al., 1999). Release of hydrocarbon into the environment whether accidentally or due to human activities is the main cause of water and soil pollution (Holliger etal1997). The hydrocarbon pollutants usually caused disruption of natural equilibrium between the living species and their natural habitat. 1-lydrocarbon has been known to belong to the family of carcinogens and ncurotoxin organic pollutants (Das and Chandran 2010.

TABLE OF CONTENT:

Title page

Certificate u

Dedication iii

Acknowledgement iv

Table of content

List of tables viii

List of figures ix

Abstract x

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

1.0.1 Objectives of the study 2

1.0.2 Justification of the study 2

1.0.3 A Drying Soil 3

1.0.4 The Biological Life Of The Soil 4

CIIAPT'ER TWO

2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Release of Gasoline to an Environment 8

2.2 Pathways For Gasoline Into The Environment 9

2.3 Release Of Gasoline To The Soil Surface 10

2.4 Effect of Gasoline Spill On Soil 10

2.5 Control Of Gasoline Spillage And Pollution I 11

2.6 Definition of heavy Metals. 11

2.6.1 Sources of heavy Metals: 11

2.7.1 Vehicles (Taxis Buses etc.). 12

2.7 Analytical procedure for heavy metals: plasma atomic emission 13

2.8 Brief theory of Atomic Absorption Spcctrophotonmetcr (AAS) 14

CFIAPTER THREE

MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 Description of the Study area.

3.2 Climate. 15

3.3 Sample Collection. 16

3,3.1 Sample Processing 16

3.4 Laboratory Procedures 16

3.4.1 Sample 1)igcstion by Wet-Acid 17

3.5 1-Icavy Metal Determination by the Atomic Absorption

Specirophotometer l\'lethod 17

3.5.1 Calculation 18

CFIAPT1R U'OUR

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

4.1 ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS 25

4.1.1 \'ARIATION OF HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATION IN GASOLINE

CONTAMINATION SOiL

CIIAPTER FIVE

5.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 41

RE FE REN C ES