The Influence of Biostimulator in the Remediation of Petroleum Sludge Polluted Clay Soil: The Concept of Moringa Application

The Bioremediation of Petroleum Sludge (PS) in a clay soil environment of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria using Moringa Seed oil extract (MO) as a Biostimulator (BS) has been investigated, with a view to studying the mitigation impact on the total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content of the petroleum sludge. Two Bioreactors labeled R1 (with MO treatment) and R2 (control: No treatment) containing 3.0kg of clay soils were polluted with 300ml of petroleum sludge. 50ml of MO was added to R1 as a biostimulator. R2 received no form of treatment. Bioremediation extent monitoring was carried out bi-weekly by sampling of the bioreactors contents and analyzing for the individual petroleum hydrocarbon using a gas chromatography (GC). Analysis of the samples at two weeks intervals for a period of 12 weeks reveals that bioremediation occurred in the treatment reactor and the control reactor to which no biostimulator was added. Most of the Hydrocarbon degradation occurred within the first four weeks of the experiment. It was found that moringa seed oil extract was very effective and suitable for remediation of petroleum sludge polluted clay soils due to the high degradation rates of the individual hydrocarbons recorded in the biostimulated reactor against the low degradation rates of those of the control reactor with no form of bio-treatment

Equilibrium Isotherm, Kinetic and Thermodynamic Studies of the Adsorption of Erythrosine Dye onto Activated Carbon from Coconut Fibre

Equilibrium isotherm, kinetic and thermodynamic studies of the adsorption of erythrosine dye onto activation carbon from coconut fire was carried out. The coconut fibre obtain from Elele, Rivers State Nigeria, was washed, dried, carbonized at 400oC, crushed, sieved and activated at 800oC, before it was washed and dried at 110oC. Variable influencing factors, such as contact time, temperature and initial concentration were studied through single-factor experiment, while other factors are kept constant (at 30min, 30oC and 50mg/L) in each adsorption experiment. The Freundlich isotherm fits adsorption compare to others used, the adsorption kinetic followed pseudo-second order reaction, while the thermodynamic parameters, (∆H) = 28.73KJ/mol, (∆G) = 94.45J/mol.K and (∆S) = -0.10, -0.27, -0.82, -1.05, -1.77, -2.49KJ/mol. From the results obtained, activated carbon from coconut fibre, will be an excellent low-cost adsorbent for the removal of Erythrosine from industrial waste water