INVESTIGATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AMMONIUM NITROGEN, NITRATE NITROGEN, AND ORGANIC NITROGEN AS NUTRIENT AMENDMENT FOR BIOREMEDIATION OF OIL SPILL SITES IN THE NIGER DELTA REGION OF NIGERIA

M.O. Egbebike, A. N. Moneke, C.A. Ezeagu, S.D. Iyeke, P. A. Ogwo

Abstract


The Niger Delta region of Nigeria has faced severe environmental degradation due to oil spills, necessitating effective remediation strategies. Bioremediation, employing microbial communities to degrade pollutants, offers a promising approach. This research investigated the efficacy of three nitrogen sources- ammonium nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and organic nitrogen-in supporting microbial activity for oil spill bioremediation in the Niger Delta. Studies were conducted on the effects of different inorganic and organic nutrient amendments on biodegradation of a Nigerian refined petroleum product on three composite samples collected from oil spill sites of Batan and Ajuju communities in Bayelsa State and Umusia Community in Oyigbo Local Government Area of Rivers State, Nigeria. The bioremediative effects of biostimulation with three sources of Nitrogen amendment on simulated oil spillage were carried out in a 4 x 3 factorial experiment laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of biostimulation as a bioremediation strategy for hydrocabon degradation using four different sources of nutrient amendment and three levels of artificially released refined petroleum products as contaminants to soil samples to simulate oil spillage. Oil samples were taken from the three sites and analyzed for background physical and biochemical properties. Treatment effects of nutrient amendment on total nitrogen, microbial population, polyaromatic hydocarbon (PAH) and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) were statistically analyzed. Results showed that nutrient amendment generally increased the total nitrogen (%), sustained incease in microbial population and significantly decreased polyaromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH). However, addition of ammonium-nitrogen appeared to stimulate degradation of petroleum contaminants more effectively than nitrate-nitrogen, while addition of organic nitrogen on the average had greater stimulation on the microbial population as well as the degradation of Petroleum contaminants at P<0.05.Results also indicate that measured oil biodegradation parameter (population of hydrocarbon degrading microbes) correlate positively with nitrogen oncentrations for the main effects of nutrient amendment (r=0.95).It was therefore concluded that nutrient amendment probably helped to stabilize the ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C:N ratio) which tended to widen with added hydrocarbon when oil is spilled, thereby providing more energy source for the growth and multiplication of micro-organism that degrade hydrocarbons.

 

Keywords- Bioremediation, Biostimulation, Hydrocarbon Contamination, Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon, Total       Petroleum Hydrocarbon, Nutrient Amendment, Niger Delta


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