By: Obinna Isaac Ikechi and Victor Chukwuemeka Ukpaka
Professor: Department of Chemical/Petrochemical
Engineering, Rivers State University Port Harcourt, Rivers
State, Nigeria.
The application of Chromolaena odorata (Awolowo leaf), processed into powder form, was used as a
biostimulant for petroleum hydrocarbon degradation and mitigation in a loamy soil environment. In
this investigation, the physicochemical and microbial characteristics of the sample were determined,
as presented in this research, including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total nitrogen (T.N), total
phosphorus (T.P), potassium (K), total organic carbon, and P. fluorescence. Corynebacterium sp.,
Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Acinetobacter iwoffi, Flavobacterium sp., and Micrococcus roseus were
identified as bacteria, while Aspergillus sp., Aspergillus polyporicola, and Fusarium equiseti were
identified as fungi. Microbial populations of 1.38 × 102 cfu/g and 1.13 × 102 cfu/g were identified as
bacteria and fungi in loamy soil, respectively, while 3.91 × 106 cfu/g and 5.85 × 104 cfu/g were identified
from the biostimulant. The research revealed the effectiveness of the biostimulant in the mitigation of
contaminated loamy soil, with total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) concentration reduced by 95–98%
within 42 days for sun- and room-dried samples. However, the biostimulant of the room-dried sample
was more effective than the sun-dried. This recommendation was based on the available nutrients
present in the room-dried sample compared to the sun-dried, as well as the concentration of TPH after
42 days. This study further underscores the potential of Chromolaena odorata as an environmentally
sustainable solution for bioremediation in hydrocarbon-contaminated soils.
Citation:
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