The Distribution of Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons Categories in Kolo Creek, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

The degree of contamination by total petroleum hydrocarbons was investigated in Kolo Creek for four months in three different stations. The level of contamination by the hydrocarbon categories: gasoline range organics (GRO), diesel range organics (DRO) and lube oil range in the surface water and sediments of the creek were investigated along the coast. Glass bottles thoroughly washed with dichloromethane were used to collect both samples and treated using standard procedures. Extraction of the hydrocarbons from the samples were achieved through the use of standard methods and the analysis of the samples were performed by the use of GC-FID to determine the concentration of the total petroleum hydrocarbon categories in the samples. The results of the investigations revealed that, GRO was within not detected to 1.148±0.031mg/L, DRO, 7.627±0.7836 to 15.375±3.2643mg/L and lube oil range, 1.267±0.1244 to 3.973 ±0.516mg/L in the stations and GRO, not detected to 1.531±0.16mg/L, DRO, 6.783 ±1.486 to 21.213±5.762mg/L and lube oil range, 0.207 ±0.0115 to 3.948±0.9mg/L in the months. In the sediments of the creek, concentration values of the categories were GRO, 1.8961±0.196 to 5.4995±2.036mg/Kg, DRO, 30.2902±8.5931 to 39.8561±11.0281mg/Kg and lube oil range, 0.5564±0.046 to 6.2071±1.43mg/Kg in the stations and in the months, GRO,0.2377±0.01 to 8.2759±3.01mg/Kg, DRO, 23.1699±5.5295 to 51.2889±18.0216mg/Kg and lube oil range, not detected to 9.7926±3.252mg/Kg. The mean concentration values in percentages for the different stations were, GRO, 4.50, DRO, 78.10 and lube oil range, 1.40, in the months, GRO, 6.55, DRO, 77.85, lube oil range, 15.60 for the surface water. In the sediments, GRO, 7.72, DRO, 83.86 and lube oil range, 8.42 in the stations, while in the months, GRO, 6.50, DRO, 79.85 and lube oil range, 13.65. the level of contamination of the creek call for immediate remediation work in order to forestall impending danger due to petroleum hydrocarbon pollution.