Bioremediation of Co-contamination of Crude Oil and Heavy Metals in Soil by Phytoremediation Using Chromolaena odorata (L) King & H.E. Robinson

The capability of Chromolaena odorata (L) to grow in the presence of different concentrations of three heavy metals in crude oil-contaminated soil and its capability to remediate the contaminated soil was investigated using pot experiments. C. odorata plants were transplanted into contaminated soil containing 50,000 mg kg−1 crude oil and between 100 and 2,000 mg kg−1 of cadmium, nickel, and zinc and watered weekly with water containing 5% NPK fertilizer for 180 days. C. odorata did not show any growth inhibition in 50,000 mg kg−1 crude oil. Plants in experiments containing 2,000 mg kg−1 Cd showed little adverse effect compared to those in Zn-treated soil. Plants in 1,000 and 2,000 mg kg−1 Ni experiments showed more adverse effects. After 180 days, reduction in heavy metals were: 100 mg kg−1 experiments, Zn (35%), Cd (33%), and Ni (23%); 500 mg kg−1, Zn (37%), Cd (41%), and Ni (25%); 1,000 mg kg−1, Zn (65%), Cd (55%), and Ni (44%); and 2,000 mg kg−1, Zn (63%), Cd (62%), and Ni (47%). The results showed that the plants accumulated more of the Zn than Cd and Ni. Accumulation of Zn and Cd was highest in the 2,000 mg kg−1 experiments and Ni in the 500 mg kg−1 experiments. Crude oil was reduced by 82% in the experiments that did not contain heavy metals and by up to 80% in the heavy metal-treated soil. The control experiments showed a reduction of up to 47% in crude oil concentration, which was attributed to microbial action and natural attenuation. These results show that C. odorata (L) has the capability of thriving and phytoaccumulating heavy metals in contaminated soils while facilitating the removal of the contaminant crude oil. It also shows that the plant’s capability to mediate the removal of crude oil in contaminated soil is not significantly affected by the concentrations of metals in the soil.