PHYTODEGRADATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBON CONTAMINATED SOIL USING CARPET GRASS (AXONOPUS FISSIFOLIUS)

http://doi.org/10.55639/607.phar.10701.007

Abstract

Environmental pollution with petroleum and petrochemical products has been recognized as one of the most important serious current problem. Phytoremediation is an effective treatment in terms of efficacy, cost effective, environmentally friendly on long term use, simplicity of administration. The aim of this research was to study the effectiveness of Carpet grass (Axonopus fissifolius) in the remediation of soil contaminated by Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH). The result revealed that there are irregular variations in the level of the physiochemical properties of the soil before, during and after the experiment. There was increase in the height of the plants every 10 days for all the plants. Also, a decrease in the values of TPH for all samples considered after the phytodegradation was observed. The relative potential or efficiency (parentage reduction) of the grasses remediating the TPH contaminated soils are in the order 5g> 15g> 25g>35g. Generally, the phytoremediation of the TPH contaminated soil is lower when amended with the cow dung than unamended. Therefore, the study suggests that carpet grass (with average of 76% percentage reduction) is having a high efficient in the degradation of TPH polluted soil.