Biostimulation of Microbes for Enhanced Oil Removal from Petroleum Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils: A Zero Waste Remediation Approach

The discovery of oil and its consequent exploitation have changed several dynamics in development of several countries, developed and developing alike. The critical importance of oil economy and purported developments have been greatly welcomed with optimism to the extent that major media houses at regional and international levels have devoted consideration space to cover the events. Despite this glorification, the oil economy also comes with pitfall of oil curse characterized by power struggles and collateral damage on the environment. The poking of the environment with several depressions and creation of spoil heaps has caused notable destruction of the environment’s scenic beauty. Besides, the dynamics of the ecosystem that are also grossly affected include mortality of plants, livestock and humans. In this chapter, we present opportunities that have been unfolded through scientific innovations which are capable of mitigating the scotching effects of crude oil exploitation on the environment. We provide a thorough exposition of strides made in ecorestoration of crude oil-contaminated soils as opposed to the use of physical, chemical and electrical approaches of contaminated soil clean-up that have commonly been in use before. We zero on biostimulation as a novel strategy that is undertaken in the biological clean-up of polluted soil environments and highlight practicalities of deployment of animal dung as a zero remediation approach. We underscore the utility of cow dung as a catalyst for faster bioremediation of crude oil-contaminated soils. We also illustrate the chapter with notable studies in the recent past that have proven that biostimulation with animal dung is a sure way of cleaning up crude oil-contaminated soils. Observably, we qualify biostimulation with cow dung as a priority approach that ought to be given due attention by environmentalists as a credible zero remediation strategy.