Assessment of Hydrocarbon Content in Mangrove Habitats of Crude Oil Exploration and Artisanal Refining Sites in Degema Oilfield

Abstract

The study comparatively assessed the hydrocarbon contents of mangrove habitat in selected crude oil exploration communities and artisanal refining sites in Degema Oilfield Rivers State. The study adopted the true-experimental design on twelve (12) randomly selected sampling points including eight (8) soil samples from Crude Oil Exploration Site (COES), two (2) from Artisanal Refining Site (ARS), and two (2) soil samples as the Control. The data collected was analyzed using mean and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). The study revealed that: Total Hydrocarbon Content (THC) at the COES ranged from 912.45 mg/l to 1,365.63 mg/l in Obuama-Harry, and Bille communities, with Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) values of 209.04 mg/l and 114.53 mg/l, respectively obtained at Bille and Obuama-Harry communities. Also, the mean values of 1,142.16 mg/l, and 100.33 mg/l for THC and TPH respectively far exceed the Control (867.30 mg/l and 97.80 mg/l), and the WHO and DPR limits of 20 mg/l for THC and TPH. The study found THC of 1561.58 mg/l, and TPH of 199.91 mg/l at ARS was far higher than the WHO, and DPR limit of 20 mg/l. The study recommended that the Ministries of Petroleum and Environment should enforce stricter penalties on artisanal refiners for bioremediation, phytoremediation, or chemical treatments to degrade or remove hydrocarbons, mitigate soil contamination and ecological damage of the mangrove ecosystems serve as buffers against coastal erosion in communities.