Remediation Potential of Andropogon tectorum in a Crude Oil Polluted Site Amended with Urea

Background and Objective: Environmental pollution resulting from oil spills during exploration and exploitation of petroleum resources in the Niger Delta Region is a major challenge in the development of the region. An investigation on the remediation potential of Andropogon tectorum in crude oil polluted soil amended with urea was conducted on a crude oil impacted farmland at Botem Tai.  Materials and Methods: A Latin Square Design (LSD) was used for the experiment and the treatments were: P1(Phytoremediation soil without amendment), P2 (Phytoremediation soil with 20 g Urea amendment), P3 (Phytoremediation soil with 40 g Urea amendment) and P (Polluted soil without phytoremediation and amendment) which served as the control. Results: The result showed that Andropogon tectorum was tolerant to and had the potential for phytoremediation of crude oil polluted soil. The addition of urea significantly improved the potential of Andropogon tectorum as higher reductions in TPH (56.93 and 92.66%) and THC (76.52 and 95.81%) were obtained in phytoremediation soil amended with 40 and 20 g urea at 2 and 4 months, respectively as compared to TPH (1.34 and 14.76%) and THC (24.75 and 32.90%) recorded in the control (P). Results also showed that urea amendment increased the uptake and accumulation of hydrocarbon in Andropogon tectorum with the highest accumulation of TPH (1.79±0.01 and 2.68±0.02 mg kg‾¹) and THC (4.45±0.56 and 26.97±4.11 mg kg‾¹) in treatment with 40 g urea amendment. Conclusion: Andropogon tectorum amended with 20 g urea increased hydrocarbon reduction rate in crude oil polluted soil; showing its great potential in remediating crude oil polluted soil.