Synergy of the Tropical Earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus and Oil Palm Bagasse in the Removal of Heavy Crude Oil

The tropical endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus, a non-standard species used in ecotoxicity, has been found in crude oil-contaminated habitats. We estimated the removal of total hydrocarbons from heavy crude Maya oil on an artificially contaminated soil with a median lethal concentration of P. corethrurus and an addition of oil palm bagasse. P. corethrurus had a high survival rate, and the addition of oil palm bagasse led to a greater growth and an increase in abundance of bacteria and fungi. The activity of P. corethrurus and the nutritional quality of oil palm bagasse had a significant impact on the removal of a larger amount of petroleum hydrocarbons from contaminated soil. We concluded that the endogeic earthworm P. corethrurus and oil palm bagasse acted synergistically to achieve a more effective removal of total petroleum hydrocarbons from soil. These results show the potential for using P. corethrurus to remove, either directly or indirectly, crude oil from soil.

Automated summary

This study found that the tropical endogeic earthworm Pontoscolex corethrurus and oil palm bagasse can synergistically remove petroleum hydrocarbons from crude oil-contaminated soil effectively.