Identification of Polyaromatic Compounds in Spent Oil Contaminated Soil

Abstract

The indiscriminate disposal of spent motor oil in the soil has led to the contamination of both land and water. The present study analyzes the compounds in spent motor oil from a car and the extraction from the soil of two mechanical workshops located in Gwagwalada area council of FCT, Abuja Nigeria. The samples were cold extracted in dichloromethane. The chemical compositions of the extracts were analyzed using GC/MS. The results revealed that extracts from SDP mechanical workshop (SMW), Dagiri mechanical workshop (DMW) and spent oil from a car (SCO) had carbon compounds that ranged from C15- C35, C13 – C34 and C10 – C20 respectively. About thirteen polycyclic compounds, eleven monocyclic compound, five oxygenated compounds and eight hydrocarbons were identified. The results from this study give information on the toxic nature of spent oil, hence, informing and educating the auto mechanic engineers on the need to stop indiscriminate disposal of spent oil on soil. It also avails the government of the urgent need to enact and enforce policies on collection, management and treatment of spent oil before disposal.