Biorremediación de suelos de la zona noreste de la amazonia ecuatoriana contaminados por hidrocarburos no volátiles aplicando compost en laboratorio

Abstract

This project aimed to remediate hydrocarbon-contaminated soils in the province of Francisco de Orellana. The main objective of the experimental investigation is to bioremediate soils using compost, which is rich in nutrients and microbial communities. This ex-situ bioremediation research was conducted at the CIITT laboratory of the Catholic University of Cuenca, where various procedures, including Soxhlet extraction, were performed. Likewise, the bioremediation was conducted using 12 experimental units with four treatments and three replicates. Each experimental unit contained 2 kg of contaminated soil. To this end, four different compost doses were applied: 0% (control treatment), 10%, 20%, and 30%. The aim was to determine which dose had the greatest capacity to reduce the contaminant. The results indicate that the use of compost in various concentrations significantly improved the degradation of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) in contaminated soils. The treatment using 10% compost (T1) proved to be the most effective, achieving a 41.25% reduction compared to only 4.12% in the control group (T0). Statistical analysis revealed significant differences between T0 and the other treatments. However, no significant differences were found among T1, T2, and T3, indicating that compost enhances the bioremediation process from its initial application. This process accelerated hydrocarbon degradation, reduced soil contamination, and improved soil quality, making it a viable and cost-effective approach to address oil spill contamination in the region.