Fate of Crude oil in Soil Treated With Vermicast Under Different Application Rate:- Igwe Magnus N

ABSTRACT xi The analysis was done in Agricultural. Civil and Chemical Engineering Laboratory in College of Engineering and Engineering Technology Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Umuahia. Abia Sate. The Physico-chemical properties and Heavy metal analysis was done at Nation Soil Plant and Waler Laboratory Umuoha-Azueke KM5 Umuahia Ikot-Ekpene Road opp Industrial/! imber Market Umuahia. Abia State. Soil sample was collected from Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, Umuahia, Abia Sate (MOUAU EARM). The portion of land was cleared of the vegetation cover, dug with a shovel and collected into two buckets. One of the samples was contaminated with crude oil and the second .sample left unconlaminated. In this study, vermicast was used to clean up crude oil contaminated soil after allowed it for several days in other to remove the petroleum hydrocarbon, determine the physico-chemical properties and restore the soil to its natural position. These findings suggest that the earthworm could be applied in the later stages of bioremediation, even in highly contaminated soil with crude oil when the toxicity of the contaminant may have decreased or pre-treated to a tolerable level. At the end of the study, it was discovered that Earthworm bioremediation does not only remove the contaminant but also enrich the soil by the addition of vermicast after reworking of the contaminated soil in the gut ofthe earthworm. The study determined the optimum conditions of crude oil soil treated with vermicast to remove polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and investigate the effect of adsoibent dosage on total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH). Physicochemical parameters such as pH, total organic catbon, sulfate, nitrate, phosphate, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium using standard procedures. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was determined using atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS)