Evaluation of n-Alkanes Hydrocarbon from two Communities in Udu Local Government Area, Delta State

Abstract

Wisdom, Ivwurie* and Daniel, Okiriguo

Hydrocarbon pollution is constantly contributing some threats to our environment. The key approach to solving environmental contamination problems starts with impact assessment. The present study was designed to investigate the concentration profiles and the distribution of n-alkanes in some soils within two communities in the Udu local government area of Delta State, Nigeria. Five soil samples suspected to have been contaminated with hydrocarbons were collected from the selected communities which are located within the Udu Local Government Area Delta State. They were analyzed for aliphatic hydrocarbons using gas chromatography equipped with a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). The results obtained from the hydrocarbon analysis gave concentrations of C8–C40 aliphatic hydrocarbons in soil samples within the range 3.0 to 325ppm with a mean value of 75ppm. The carbon preference index (CPI) of soil in the studies area ranged from 0.0-2.8 but with higher values for soils from the vicinity of some mechanic workshops (CPI = 1.1), busy traffic points (CPI = 2.8) than soil from other environments. A thorough analysis of the experimental data led to the conclusion that hydrocarbon inputs to the affected soil are majorly biogenic sources.