Characterizations of Untreated and Treated Automobile Workshop Polluted Soil in Enugu Metropolis

The main objective of the study is to characterize the contaminated soil from car workshops both before and after treatment using methanol, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and a blend of methanol and EDTA as extractants. With the use of an X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (XRF), gas chromatography (GC), and an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), the chemical compositions, concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and heavy metals of the soil sample were determined. Numerous metallic oxide compounds were found in both treated and untreated vehicle workshop polluted soil samples, according to the XRF results. The composition of the soil was changed when it was treated with methanol, EDTA, or methanol and EDTA together as extractants. The remediating properties of the extractants are thought to be responsible for the changes and movements of the chemical compounds' mobile components and molecules during hydrothermal alteration. The untreated automobile-polluted soil has extremely high levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, raising serious implications for public health. Anthracene, fluoranthene, and benzo(a)pyrene are the main constituents. It was shown that applying extractants to the soil significantly decreased the quantities of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. High quantities of zinc and chromium are found in untreated automobile-polluted soil, according to results from an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). On the other hand, Zn and Cr concentrations were significantly reduced when methanol, EDTA, and methanol/EDTA mixed extractants were used.