Utilising mycoremediation for treatment of petroleum-contaminated soils and sediments from Ogoniland, Niger Delta, Nigeria: A kinetic insight

<p align="justify">The high prospect of mycoremediation and the lingering issues of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPHs), associated with crude oil pollution in Ogoniland, Niger Delta, Nigeria, necessitate investigations for sustainable remediation options. Therefore, mycoremediation of different contaminated soils (clayey, sandy, and loamy) and sediments collected within the study area was carried out using <em>Pleurotus</em> ostreatus and fermented palm wine, both<em> </em>optimized with Tween 80, for a period of 90 days. Results revealed variation in soils and sediments TPHs content, in the range of 120 to 525 g/kg dry soil (about 12% to 50% of TPHs contamination), which far exceeded the soil threshold value of 10 g/kg dry soil or 1%. Also, the TPHs concentrations in the soils and sediments, and the remediation efficiency were directly related to the textural properties, with the highest TPHs concentrations in clayey soils and the highest remediation efficiencies in loamy soils. Both mycoremediation agents, enhanced with Tween 80, achieved TPHs remediation above 98% in all the treatments (except in sandy soil). In all cases, the mycoremediation proceeded via pseudo second-order kinetics, and the removal rates peaked at 45–75 days. The kinetic insights also establish the initial TPHs concentration as one of the key factors influencing the remediation efficiency. This study further revealed that mycoremediation of TPHs works best in loamy soils; therefore, shifting soil properties towards those of loamy during mycoremediation is highly recommended. Consequently, with the abundant mycoremediation resources in the Niger Delta, mycoremediation can provide a sustainable option in the clean-up of the petroleum-contaminated soils and sediments.</p>