CHAPTER ONE

1.1 INTRODUCTION
Pollutants are substances which cause pollution. Pollution is not a new phenomenon.
Infact, it is older than what most people realize. Archaeologist digging through site of
upper Palaeolithic settlement (settlement of the first modern humans between forty
thousand and ten thousand years ago) routinely found piles of discarded stone tools and
the litter form the making of these tools.

Although pollution has been a major problem since the centuries preceding the middle
ages, it is worth noting that the most significant land and soil pollution began during the
20th century, when industries began manufacturing and using synthetic materials such as
plastic, PCBs (polychlorodiphenyl tricholorethene (DDT). These materials are not only
toxic, they also accumulate in the environment – they are biodegradable thus, organic
based pollutants have the potential to disrupt hormonal systems and modify the natural
growth of humans and animals. It alters significantly the content and diversity of
organism in the soil.

As the world population grows, and humans moved form nomadic to settle societies,
however pollutants increase in magnitudes and becoming a real problem for the
environment and it human and non-human inhabitants. The dispersal pollutant form it
source can be through the atmosphere, via the water bodies or directly into the soil. The
soil has in recent years been selected as a medium in which pollutant are being dispose.
Once in the soil, not only can it enter the food chain, thereby affecting plant, animals and
humans, but in some cases altering the composition of the soil and it ability to perform it
many function.

Furthermore, pollutant can often be transported from the soil to water bodies, where they
contribute further damages to the environment. Soil pollutant is now much more under
the spot light of government, though they are many countries that still ignore the effect of
soil pollution.

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVE

The aim of this project is to determine how quickly different liquid pollutant would travel
through different soil types.

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY

The information gained from this experiment will benefit farmer, drilling industries,
botanists who have soil problem to better understand absorbency in different soil types,
as pollutant can impact soil everywhere and the effects are potentially disastrous – small
chemical change in soil can render it inhospitable to plant. Also chemical that runoff
through soil into river and stream can contaminate drinking water.
1.4 SCOPE OF STUDY
The project is limited to the use of three different types of liquid pollutant – Diesel,
Kerosene and Lubricating Oil; and three different soil types – sand, loamy and clay.
 CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 POLLUTANT
Pollutants are any substances that diminish the quality of the soil and change the natural
soil equilibrium. They are ingredient causing pollution. They are not deliberately
manufactured, but are the by product of manufacturing processes. At different stages of
the manufacturing, these pollutants are generated (Miller, G.T. 2000). According to
(Tietenberg, T. 2006) Pollutants can also be defined by their zones of influence, both
horizontally and vertically.

The horizontal zone refers to the area that is damaged by a pollutant. Local pollutants
cause damage near the emission source while regional pollutants cause damage further
from the emission source.
The vertical zone is referred to whether the damage is ground-level or atmospheric.
Surface pollutants cause damage by concentrations of the pollutant accumulating
near the Earth's surface Global pollutants cause damage by concentrations in the
atmosphere.

2.2 POLLUTANT PATHWAY

According to (Dr Dilip, 2004) a pollutant is released along a pathway – a retraceable root
from it source. This pathway allows migration of the pollutant to a target of vary
sensitivity. They are different form of pollutants, each of which comes from different
sources.

2.3 FORM OF POLLUTANT AND ITS SOURCE.

Different forms of pollutant have different properties for mobility, migration and impacts,
each of this properties vary according to it source.
They are three different forms of pollutant, which are Liquid, Solid and Gaseous
Liquid Pollutant
Source
i. Spilled raw material,
ii. Leakage form machinery and pipe work
iii. Damage supply line and drains
iv. Deliberate discharge of effluent.

Solid Pollutant
Source
i. Product of waste powder, resins, granule e.t.c
Gaseous Pollutant
Source
i. Evaporation of organic and volatile chemicals.
ii. Process fume and smoke.
 iii.Naturally occurring radioactive gases.
2.4 LIQUID POLLUTANT
These are substances that flow with little or no tendency to disperse, having relatively
high incompressibility, and which cause pollution. Many liquid pollutants are produced,
during the process of manufacturing pesticide, medicine and other chemical. They are
also released during refinement and processing (Tutorvista, 2010).

Liquid pollutants exist in two forms: point source and non-point source. Point source
pollutant is used to describe thing that pollute the environment directly, it can be traced
back to a single origin or source example, pipe dumping contaminant, a sewage treatment
plant discharge, while non-point source describe things that pollute the environment
indirectly, it cannot be traced back to a single origin or source such as polluted runoff
from agricultural areas draining into a river, urban runoff from a roadway, storm drain, or
from ships at sea.
There are four origins that these sources can come from, they are as follows: agricultural
industry, manufacturing industry, municipal and nuclear wastes, each of them is
discussed below.

2.5 LIQUID POLLUTANT SOURCE OF ORIGIN

i. Agricultural Industry
Pesticides, insecticides and herbicides are commonly used in the agriculture industry to
treat crops and protect them against the threat of insect infestation or disease. These types
of chemical compounds may also be used on a smaller scale to treat lawns, flower beds or
gardens. According to (Green P. 2008), the use of pesticides, insecticides and herbicides
can cause a reduction in soil fertility, pollution of groundwater and contamination of root
crops. Liquid fertilizers that contain nitrates, phosphorous or potassium can also lead to
deterioration of soil quality, potential groundwater contamination and a general
degradation of the quality of crops produced.

ii. Manufacturing Industry

According to (Green P. 2008), power plants, paper plants and companies operating in the
iron, steel or chemical industries are responsible for creating hazardous liquid waste.
Liquid waste produced by these entities typically enters the soil as waste-water runoff or
through illegal or improper dumping. Heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, copper and
zinc, chromium, mercury and arsenic are often present in industrial waste. As these
chemicals are absorbed into the soil, they have the potentials to contaminate groundwater
or be consumed by wildlife, which may allow the transfer of these compounds up to the
food chain.
ii. Municipal waste
The improper management and control of municipal waste can also lead to leakage of
hazardous liquids into the soil. The primary sources of municipal waste pollutants include
leakage from septic tanks, sewage that enters rivers, the improper disposal of motor oil,
paint and other chemicals (NSDL, 2007).

iii. Nuclear Waste

Liquid nuclear waste also has the ability to contribute to soil pollution. Radioactive waste
is typically classified according to its purpose – their heat energy potential and their
composition. Nuclear waste can remain for a few hours or a few thousand years,
depending on its composition (EPA, 1998).

2.6 SOIL
Soil is a series of thin layer on the surface of the Earth on which the living beings
survive. It is the layer of materials in which plants have their roots. Soil is made up of
many things like weathered rock particles and decayed plant and animal matter
(Birkeland, 1991).
It takes a long time for soil formation and more than thousand years for the formation of
a thin layer of soil. Since soil is made up of such diverse materials like broken down rock
particles and organic matter, it can be classified into various types, though based on the
size of the particles it contains.

2.7 SOIL CLASSIFICATION

Sand, Silt, and Clay are the three basic types of soil. Some soils are made up of the
combination of the three to form Loamy Soil. The texture of the soil, how it looks and
feels, depends upon the amount of each one in that particular soil (Sanchez, 2003).

i. Sandy Soil
This type has the biggest particles and the size of the particles thus determine the degree
of aeration and drainage that the soil allows. It is granular and consists of rock and
mineral particles that are very small. Therefore the texture is gritty and sandy soil is
formed by the disintegration and weathering of rocks such as limestone, granite, quartz
and shale. Sandy soil is easier to cultivate if it is rich in organic material but then it
allows drainage more than is needed, thus resulting in over-drainage and dehydration of
the plants in summer. It warms very fast in the spring season. So if you want to grow
your plant in sandy soil it is imperative that you water it regularly in the summers and
give a break in the winters and rainy season, sandy soil retains moisture and nutrients. In
a way sandy soil is good for plants since it lets the water go off so that it does not remain
near the roots and lead them to decay.
ii. Silt Soil
Silt soil is considered to be one of the most fertile of soils. It can occur in nature as soil or
as suspended sediment in water column of a water body on the surface of the earth. It is
composed of minerals like Quartz and fine organic particles. It is granular like sandy soil
but it has more nutrients than sandy soil and it also offers better drainage. In case silt soil
is dry, it has a smoother texture and looks like dark sand. This type of soil can hold more
moisture and at times becomes compact; it offers better drainage and is much easier to
work with when it has moisture.

iii. Clay Soil

Clay is a kind of soil that occurs naturally and consists of very fine grained material with
very less air spaces, which is the reason it is difficult to work with since the drainage in
this soil is low, most of the time there is a chance of water logging and that causes harm
to the roots of the plant. Clay soil becomes very heavy when wet and if cultivation has to
be done, organic fertilizers have to be added. Clay soil is formed after years of rock
disintegration and weathering. It is also formed as sedimentary deposits after the rock is
weathered, eroded and transported.

iv. Loamy Soil

This soil consists of sand, silt and clay. It is considered to be the perfect soil for
Agriculture. The texture is gritty and retains water very easily, yet the drainage is well.
There are various kinds of loamy soil ranging from fertile to very muddy and thick sod.
Yet out of all the different kinds of soil loamy soil is the ideal for cultivation.
Besides this kind of classification soil can also be classified as Acidic and Alkaline soil
depending on the amount of humus, organic matter and the underlying bedrock. Every
soil has its own advantages and disadvantages and there are various plants that have
different requirements. All plants do not need the same kind of soil.

2.8 CAUSES OF LIQUID POLLUTANT ON THE SOIL

Soil pollution is a growing problem and understanding what causes it, is key to
preventing it. Pollutants in the soil can have a negative impact on plant and animal life
and potentially lead to contamination of groundwater. Soil pollution can be limited to
surface soil or it can be spread to underground layers, depending on the type of
contaminant. Hazardous liquids derived from agricultural, industrial and other activities
represent the most type of soil pollutants (Davenport, 2005).

Farming Chemicals
Chemicals are widely used to protect crops from succumbing to insects, weeds and fungi,
though these chemicals are a good short-term treatment to problems in agriculture, they
also can create new problems that are harder to solve. Pesticides, herbicides and other
chemical agents can contaminate the soil and deplete it of nutrients. The reduction of
nutrients can make soils less able to yield high-quality crops of certain plants. Chemical
runoff also can affect soil beyond the plot where crops are grown and hamper the soil for
 Human Waste Products
Trash from landfills and littering can decompose over time, but they also can release
liquid chemicals that kill plants and make soil inhabitable to life forms, including plants
and animals. Chemicals found in cosmetic products and other items, such as batteries,
can linger in soil, zapping it of it nutrients. Some of this is unavoidable, but many
products can be recycled by methods that do not damage soil to such a degree.

Fuel By-Products
Fuel leakages from automobiles, that gets washed away due to rain and seep into the
nearby soil can influence the soil and be harmful to the land. The by-products from coal-
powered plants, oil refineries and nuclear waste can put various chemical substances into
the soil – many of which can remain for years. This type of soil pollution is commonly
found in highly industrialize areas. The pollutants produced by fuel as well as other
factors, can contaminate the soil and also can be carried through the soil and enter into
groundwater, which can make the water extracted from some wells undrinkable without
treatment.

2.9 EFFECT OF LIQUID POLLUTANT ON THE SOIL

Different source of liquid pollutants have different effect on the nature of soil. Let’s look
into the effect caused by each of these pollutants.

Agricultural Pollutant
a) Synthetic fertilizers: Excessive use of nitrogenous fertilizers leads to accumulation of
nitrates in the soil. Vegetation in nitrate rich soil may exert toxic effects on those
consuming it. Excess use of fertilizers also destroys the microbial flora in the soil, thus
leading to interruption of essential processes in soil, such as nitrogen fixation. Also with
the continued accumulation of these potassium salts and nitrates in soil, the salt content in
soil could increase and cause salinisation.

b) Pesticides are often used to keep away pests which damage crop produce and often
cause soil pollution as they are mostly non biodegradable. They take many years to
degrade and remain as a toxic residue in soil. Pesticide residues in soil may be taken up
by plants and cause phyto-toxicity. They may also enter aquatic environment through run
off after rain and enter the food chain.

Industrial and Manufacturing Pollutants

c) Industrial effluents: liquid pollutants from tanneries, thermal power plants, paper,
fertilizer, iron, and steel industry often end up in the soil and cause degradation of soil
due to their toxicity.
d) Urban wastes: wastes generated in urban living areas such as sewage sludge, hospital
wastes, etc also are a major cause of soil pollution. These wastes tend to accumulate in
soil, encourage the growth of pathogenic organism and cause diseases also waste material
like plastic tend to remain non biodegradable in soil and affect soil productivity.

2.10 PROPERTIES OF SOIL

According to (Brady, et al. 2003) since soils develop under a variety of conditions, the
soil in one location can be very different from the soil in another location. In order to
understand soil, and how one soil differs from another, the chemical and physical
properties are enumerated as followed:

Chemical properties
Soil chemistry is the interaction of various chemical constituents that takes place among
soil particles and in the soil solution—the water retained by soil. The chemical
interactions that occur in soil are highly complex. The chemical qualities of soils
change with time.

Cation Exchange Capacity

The cation exchange capacity is a measure of the capacity of the soil to hold some
nutrients. It plays a role in soil fertility. Some plant nutrients and metals exist as
positively charged ions, or “cations”, in the soil environment. Among the more common
cations found in soils are hydrogen (H+), aluminum (Al+3), calcium (Ca+2), magnesium
(Mg+2), and potassium (K+). Most heavy metals also exist as cations in the soil
environment. Clay and organic matter particles are predominantly negatively charged
(anions), and have the ability to hold cations from being “leached” or washed away. The
adsorbed cations are subject to replacement by other cations in a rapid, reversible process
called “cation exchange”.

Soil pH
Soil pH refers to the level of acidity in a soil. The pH is a measure of the number of
hydrogen (H+) ions that are in the soil. Soil pH can be altered by ammendments.
Increasing organic matter will decrease pH (increase acidity). Lime can be added to
increase pH (increase alkalinity). Certain fertilizers are delivered as acidic or basic
solutions. These will also alter soil pH.

Salinity
Saline soils are soils with lots of soluble salts.
Sodic soils are saline soils with lots of Na+, <15% Na+.

Physical Properties
Soil Texture: This is the percent of sand, silt and clay in a soil.
The sizes of these particles fall into the following sizes:
• Sand is the coarsest (0.06 - 2 mm)
• Silt is intermediate (0.002 - 0.06 mm)
• Clay is the finest (<0.002 mm)
Soil structure is the way the soil particles are arranged into larger units called peds. A
soil with good soil structure has many more channels, or macrospores, for the movement
of air and water.

Soil Colour: this ranges from gray, black, white, reds, browns, yellows and under the
right conditions green. It is influenced by the content of organic matter and water.

2.11 USES OF SOIL

Agriculture-Soil is used in agriculture, where it serves as the primary nutrient base for
plants; however, as demonstrated by hydroponics, it is not essential to plant growth if the
soil-contained nutrients could be dissolved in a solution. The types of soil used in
agriculture (among other things, such as the purported level of moisture in the soil) vary
with respect to the species of plants that are cultivated.

Fuel-Organic soils, especially peat, serve as a significant fuel resource

Soil material is a critical component in the mining and construction industries.

Soil serves as a foundation for most construction projects. Massive volumes of soil can
be involved in surface mining, road building and dam construction. Earth sheltering is the
architectural practice of using soil for external thermal mass against building walls.

Food-Both animals and humans in many cultures occasionally consume soil. Some
monkeys consume soil, together with their preferred food (tree foliage and fruits), in
order to alleviate tannin toxicity (Setz et al 1999).

Soils filter and purify water – Rain water and pooled water from ponds, lakes and rivers
percolate through the soil horizons and the upper rock strata; thus becoming groundwater.
Pests (viruses) and pollutants, such as persistent organic pollutants (chlorinated
pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls), oils (hydrocarbons), heavy metals (lead, zinc,
cadmium), and excess nutrients (nitrates, sulfates, phosphates) are filtered out by the soil
(Rezaei et al 2009).
Landfills use soil for daily cover.

2.12 IMPORTANCE OF SOIL

 Soil is one of the environment’s most important resources. Soil, along with
sunlight and water, feeds plants, houses organisms, responsible for nutrient
cycling, affects primary productivity and influences plant community diversity.

 Soil covers large parts of the dry-land surface of the globe; without it, the earth's
surface would be barren rock and could not support life.
  Soil is the biologically active zone where the atmosphere, water, sunlight, and the
earth's crust mix and interact.

 Soil is one of the planet's most active regions of energy exchange, particularly
through the decomposition of organic materials.

 Soil is obviously the medium necessary for terrestrial plant life. And since human
beings live on plants and animals, which in turn nourish themselves on plants, it is
easy to see why soil is the fundamental resource of civilization. It is in fact the
fundamental resource of terrestrial life.
 Soil is constantly changing its composition in response to changing conditions. It
supports a host of communities of living things which are interdependent and
survive by endlessly exchanging energy and chemical resources. Consequently,
soil is a resource that must be conserved. In order to be conserved it must be
adequately studied, understood and preserver.

2.13 SOIL TREATMENT

Soil treatment is the science and act of treating contaminated soil with either a stationary
or mobile facility, designed to reduce the level of contaminants- both organic and
inorganic in a soil (FDEP, 2008).

The various soil treatments are discussed below:

Solidification/Stabilization - Environmental remediation processes by which waste

contaminants in a host medium (soil) are rendered less mobile, less soluble, chemically
inactive, and less toxic by the addition of properly selected and mixed additives and/or
reagents. Solidification increases the compressive strength, decreases the permeability,
and encapsulates toxic elements while stabilization converts hazardous elements into less
soluble, mobile or toxic forms, particularly with respect to the action of water, frost and
lime, either alone or in combination with other materials, can be used to treat a range of
soil types. It helps in reducing contaminant solubility or reducing the transfer of (Entact,
2010).

Redox (reduction/oxidation reaction) – is an environmental remediation processes for

rendering chlorinated hydrocarbons, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals, chemically
inert or neutral in their affect on the surrounding environment. Reduction refers to the
gain of electrons by a molecule, atom, or ion. Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons by
a molecule, atom, or ion. One or the other of these transformations might be used to
change the chemical and/or physical attributes of soil contaminants so that they are
environmentally acceptable and can remain in-situ and support beneficial use. Redox is
initiated by the addition or injection of chemicals, reagents, microbes, enzymes, or
bacteria designed to interact with and permanently change the targeted contaminant
(Entact, 2010).
Bioremediation - Bioremediation is the use of biological mechanisms to destroy,
transform, or immobilize environmental contaminants. Bioremediation of hydrocarbons
can be accomplished by a variety of techniques. In all cases, breakdown of hydrocarbons
is maximized by providing the best conditions for microbial activity, requiring a proper
balance of moisture, nutrients, and soil oxygen (BT Texno and Servis, 2008).
 CHAPTER THREE
MATERIALS AND METHODS

3.1 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT USE

The materials and equipment used are described in the table below
S/No MATERIALS/EQUIPMENT GRADE/ MANUFACTURER
USED MODEL

1. Sibata Scientific Technology

Beaker 300ml Bomax Ltd. Usa
2. Measuring Cylinder 500ml Silberland Inc W. Germany
3. Weighing Balance Lever Griffin & Georg Ltd. Uk
4. Plastic Filter Sunplast Nigeria
5. Lubricating Oil SAE 40 Conoil Plc. Nigeria
6. Diesel Warri Refinary. Nigeria
7. Kerosene Warri Refinary. Nigeria
9. Stop Watch digital
10. Water type; bore hole Source: Ground Water
11. Soil Auger mini Gamzen Plast Pvt India
12 Plastic Bag medium black Sunplast Nigeria

3.2 DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE SITE

Ogbe Avenue is a new developing area in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State. It is a
sparsely populated area; the soil formation is composed of three types randomly distributed within the
area.

3.3 METHOD OF SAMPLE COLLECTION

A reasonable quantity of soil samples were collected at surface and subsurface soil of the study area and
conveyed in a plastic bag labelled A, B and C with a masking tape.

Sample A is a Sandy Soil collected from a building construction site; Sample B a loamy soil collected at
a few distance from a farm land; Sample C is a clay soil collected at a depth of about 20-25cm from an
open field under the influence of erosion.

3.4 ANALYTICAL PROCEDURE

PARAMETER OF INTEREST
DETERMINATION OF SOIL POROSITY
Soil porosity (percent pore space) is the amount of pore space in a sample of soil. Pore spaces are found
between soil particles and are either filled with air or liquid (water). It is important, as it defines the
volume of liquid that can be held in a given volume of a soil.
It is generally the pore sizes and their connectivity that determines whether a soil has high or low
permeability- the property that allows fluid to flow through (Horgan, 1999).
 Direct method
This method measures the amount of water it takes to fill the soil pores (percent
porosity).

Apparatus: Beaker, Graduated Cylinder.

Reagent: Water
Material: Soil

PROCEDURE
1. Put each soil sample into a beaker.
2. Measure 250ml of water using a graduated cylinder.
3. Slowly and steadily pour the measured 250ml of water into the soil filled beaker,
care must be taken not to stir or shake the soil in the beaker.
4. allow the soil in the beaker to stand for several minutes, until all the water soaks
into the very small pores
5. Calculate the amount of water used to fill the soil pore space in each beaker by
subtracting the volume of water left in the cylinder from the initial volume of the water in
the cylinder from the initial volume of the water in the cylinder before pouring it into the
beaker.
6. Record the result and make necessary calculations.
Measurements
Initial volume of water used vw1 250 ml
Volume of water remaining in cylinder after all soil pores ml
are filled. vw2
volume of water filling soil pores (volume of all pores) vw3 ml
= vw1 - vw2
total volume of soil (1 cm3 = 1 ml) 150 ml

Percentage Porosity % =
Volume of Pores cm3 x 100
Total Volume of the soil cm

3.4 Determination of absorption of some liquid pollutant in soil

Apparatus: Beaker, Measuring Cylinder, Plastic filter, Stop watch
Material: Soil – clay, loamy and Sandy, Some liquid pollutants

Procedure
1. Create a clean and organized are near a working sink in the laboratory.
2. Place a beaker on top of a horizontal table and then place a plastic filter on top the
beaker, so that it remain firm.
3. Weigh 250g of soil sample A using weighing balance and carefully put it into the
filter.
4. Measure 250ml of Kerosene using a graduated cylinder.
5. Slowly and steadily pour the measured 250ml of kerosene into soil sample A
6. Immediately the kerosene is completely out of the graduated cylinder, begin timing
for 60 seconds.
7. Stop the counting of the stop watch at the exact timing of 5minutes, measure and
record the amount of kerosene that passes through the soil sample A
8. The result, of the amount of kerosene absorb by the soil sample A, is calculated by
taking the difference between the initial amount of the kerosene that is pour into
soil sample A and the amount of the kerosene that passes through it.

Formula
Amount of pollutant absorb by sample =
Initial amount of pollutant – amount of pollutant that passes through sample.

9. Remove the plastic filter from the beaker, set it in the sink and wash both the
plastic filter and beaker. Immediately clean up any spill found.
10. Repeat step 1-9 with the same pollutant and soil sample B and C
11. Repeat step 1-9 with diesel and soil sample A, B and C
12. Repeat step 1-9 with lubricating soil and soil sample A, B and C.
 CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND DISCUSSION
4.1 RESULTS
Below is the table of results of the analyses carried out on the different sample of soil
types.
Table 1.
Percentage porosity of the different soil sample.
s/n soil initial volume of volume of percentage porosity =
sample volume of water left in water that w1-w2/150ml x 100(%)
water used the cylinder filled soil
w1 (ml) after soil pore spore (w1-w2)
are filled ml
(w2)ml
1. A 250 215 35 23

2. 250 225 25 16
B
3. C 250 245 5 3

Table 2 – 4 Show the amount of liquid pollutant absorb by different soil samples.

Table 2
Soil Sample A
initial amount of amount of
amount of pollutant that
Pollutants pollutant used pollutant absorb
passes through soil (ml)
(ml) by soil (ml)
Kerosene 250 100 150
Diesel 250 102 148
Lubricating oil 250 175 75

Table 3
Soil Sample B
initial amount of amount of
amount of pollutant that
Pollutants pollutant used pollutant absorb
passes through soil (ml)
(ml) by soil (ml)

Kerosene 250 120 130

Diesel 250 123 127

Lubricating oil 250 180 70

Table 4
Soil Sample C
initial amount of amount of
amount of pollutant that
Pollutants pollutant used pollutant absorb
passes through soil (ml)
(ml) by soil (ml)

Kerosene 250 146 54

Diesel 250 150 50

Lubricating oil 250 250 0

250

200

150 Key
Kerosene
Diesel
100 Lubricating Oil

50

0 Soil Sample A Soil Sample B Soil Sample C

A graph of pollutant against different Soil Sample Types

25

20
Key
15 Soil Sample A

10 Soil Sample B

5 Soil Sample C

0
Different Soil Sample Types

A graph of percentage porosity against different soil sample types

4.2 DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

Soil Sample A
I found out that, the three pollutants used, travelled through it at a faster rate. It absorbs
100ml of kerosene, 102ml of diesel and 175ml of lubricating oil. It has high percentage
porosity than the rest of the other soil sample, which is gotten as 23%.

Soil Sample B
I found out that, the three pollutants travel through the soil, but not as fast as in soil
sample A during the period of timing. The lubricating oil flows slowly, making it to be
the least to travel through the soil and the most absorbent. It absorbs 100ml of kerosene,
110ml of diesel and 170ml of lubricating oil. It percentage porosity is 16%.

Soil Sample C
It took more timing for the pollutants kerosene and diesel to run through it. The
lubricating oil was able to absorb, but did not travel through, during the period of timing.
It percentage porosity is 3%. Making it, to have less air space than the rest of the other
soil. It absorbs 120ml of kerosene, 127ml of diesel and 70ml of lubricating oil.
 CHAPTER FIVE
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 CONCLUSION
Looking at the experiment carried out and with the consequent result obtained from it, it
can then be concluded that soil with less porosity and pollutant with more viscosity
would be most absorbent.

The continue disposal of pollutant into soil will result in depletion of the soil nutrient,
which give rise to infertility of the soil and consequence, environmental degradation.

5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS
Having seen how far liquid pollutant can travel through soil and its negative impact on it.
I like to recommend the following as ways to reduce such problems.

1. A rapid oil spill response mechanism should be put in place by the government and
oil companies, which must be committed to responding to distress call due to oil spillage.

2. Developing of waste management procedures that properly treat waste product –

industrial wastes can be treated physically, chemically and biologically until they are less
hazardous. Acidic and alkaline waste should first be neutralized. Then, the insoluble
material of biodegradable should be allowed to degrade under controlled condition before
being disposed.

3. Reducing of chemical fertilizer and pesticide use - applying bio-fertilizers and

manures can reduce chemical fertilizer and pesticide use. Biological methods of pest
control can also reduce the use of pesticides and thereby minimize soil pollution.

4. An insurance found against oil pollution be established by the government and oil
companies. In this fund, all the socio-economic cost resulting from oil pollution can be
charged and insured against.

5. Special location should be selected for dumping of wastes product - as a last resort,
new areas for storage of hazardous waste should be introduced such as deep well
injection and more secure landfills. Burying the waste in locations situated away from
residential areas is the simplest and most widely used technique of waste management.
Environmental and aesthetic considerations must be taken into consideration before
selecting the dumping sites.

6. Excavating polluted soil for treatment or proper disposal, to curb it from spreading
into different unaffected areas.
7. Government agencies, multinational companies, local authorities and communities
should as a matter of utmost importance create pollution awareness programmes.
 REFERENCE

BT Texno Servis (2008): Solidification Available from

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