Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in crude oil-contaminated water and soil and their removal using locally available plant materials

ABSTRACT The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in water and soil can be harmful to human life when ingested. PAHs are determined in the water and soil of the B-Dere community of Rivers State, Nigeria. The concentration level, source identification, and treatment were carried out. The water samples were treated with garlic and Moringa seed extracts, while the soil samples were treated with garlic and Fenton oxidation reagents. PAHs were extracted before and after treatment. The gas chromatograph mass spectrometer analyses showed 13 PAHs in the water and 10 PAHs in the soil. The highest concentration in water was recorded for benzo(ghi)perylene, with a mean value of 27.7 ± 0.25 ngL−1, while that of soil was recorded for benz(a)anthracene, with a mean value of 14.4 ± 0.631 ngkg−1. The source of PAHs in water was pyrogenic, while that of soil was petrogenic. Garlic extract removed 100% of benz(a)anthracene and benzo(b)fluorothane from the water, while Moringa removed 100% biphenylene from the water. However, garlic extract removed 2.59% of acenaphthylene, while Fenton reagents removed 100% of anthracene, phenathrene, and chrysene from the soil. Moringa seed and garlic extracts can be used in PAH's polluted water treatment.