Oil Palm Bagasse as a Treatment for Soils Contaminated with Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons

Jennifer Alexandra Orejuela-Romero (), Luis Miguel Santillán-Quiroga, Zayda Vanessa Herrera Cuadrado, Daniel Alejandro Heredia Jara, María Soledad Núñez Moreno, Marcos Barahona, Seleni Prado and Michelle Elisa Zurita Ordóñez
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Jennifer Alexandra Orejuela-Romero: Yasuní-SDC Research Group, Coca 220150, Ecuador
Luis Miguel Santillán-Quiroga: Earth Science Department, University of Turin, Via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125 Torino, Italy
Zayda Vanessa Herrera Cuadrado: Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Facultad de Ciencias, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador
Daniel Alejandro Heredia Jara: Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Facultad de Ciencias, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador
María Soledad Núñez Moreno: Escuela Superior Politécnica de Chimborazo (ESPOCH), Facultad de Ciencias, Riobamba 060155, Ecuador
Marcos Barahona: Independent Researcher, Coca 220150, Ecuador
Seleni Prado: Independent Researcher, Coca 220150, Ecuador
Michelle Elisa Zurita Ordóñez: Independent Researcher, Coca 220150, Ecuador

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 2, 1-15

Abstract: Soil contamination from oil spills in the canton of Francisco de Orellana in Ecuador is the biggest contamination problem in the region. It affects the quality of resources and poses health risks to the surrounding communities. To find an economical and efficient alternative for the remediation of soils contaminated with total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs), the application of oil palm bagasse was proposed. This is a locally available industrial waste. The methodology of the study was based on the application of six treatments (G-A, G-B, O-A, O-B, M-A, M-B) belonging to the bagasse of Elaeis guineensis and Elaeis oleifera , in two percentages of concentration, 98:2 and 96:4, during a period of 20 days. To determine the efficacy of the treatments, the bagasse of the two palms was characterized. In addition, the initial physicochemical characterization of the soil and the final characterization after the treatments were carried out. Soil characterization included analyses of macronutrients, micronutrients, metals, pH, EC and TPH. The results of the initial characterization revealed that the concentrations of electrical conductivity and TPH were more than 70 and 50 times the values established in the 97-A ministerial agreement, respectively. However, after the final characterization, the effectiveness of the treatments in reducing metal concentrations was observed. Likewise, conductivity levels were reduced by more than 10 times. As for TPH, the G-B treatment stood out by achieving a 56% removal of this pollutant.

Keywords: total petroleum hydrocarbons; bagasse; palms (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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