title: Effect of natural rubber processing sludge on the degradation of crude oil hydrocarbons in soil.
abstract: Crude oil-polluted soil (five parts of weathered crude oil per 100 parts of soil; equivalent to 50,000 mg oil kg(-1) soil) samples were slurried in deionised water (300% of the water retention capacity of the soil) and treated with various amounts of natural-rubber processing sludge (nitrogen content 62.15 mg kg(-1) and phosphorus contents 8.75 mg kg(-1)) in a well-stirred, continuously-aerated tank at 29 degrees C. Changes in the total hydrocarbon content of the soil sample were determined, using a spectrophotometric technique, as a function of time. The extent of crude oil degradation was markedly higher (by up to 100%) in the sludge-treated soil than in the untreated soil sample. The efficiency of biodegradation of the crude oil hydrocarbons using the slurry-phase technique was compared with that of solid-phase technique.
authors.affiliation: Industrial Agricultural Products Research Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, University Of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria. okieimen@uniben.edu
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Okieimen
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Okieimen
mesh_terms: D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism*; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism*; D012408:Rubber / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D012722:Sewage / Q000382:microbiology*; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D007220:Industrial Waste; D010578:Petroleum; D012722:Sewage; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D012408:Rubber