Impact of local oil mills (ebu epo pupa) on the on-site environmental resources quality in a growing urban center in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of local oil mills on the quality of on-site environmental resources in a growing urban center in Nigeria. Water, soil samples, dominant plant species, and macroinvertebrates were sampled and analyzed using standard procedure. Total dissolved solids, potassium, calcium, phosphate, dissolved oxygen and electrical conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand, and chemical oxygen demand of the water sampled were determined. The bulk density, soil moisture, soil organic matter, soil temperature, and soil pH of the sample collected were similarly done. Plant and invertebrate species sampled were identified using the most appropriate morphological techniques. Results of the physicochemical analysis of water samples revealed that there was no significant difference among the parameters across the sampled points at 95% level of confidence except in temperature (p = 0.422) while the results of soil analysis revealed that organic matter content was significantly greater (p > 0.05) compared to other property examined indicating that the oil mill decayed by-products contributed to the soil organic matter. The results of plant and invertebrate species showed that the upstream had the highest number of plant distribution while the source point had the highest number of macroinvertebrate species. This study therefore concluded that oil mill by-products do not pose any negative effect on the resources examined; rather, it will be more economically valuable for soil improvement.