Vegetos
(An International Journal of Plant Research & Biotechnology)
(eISSN: 2229-4473)
Phytoremediation of palm oil mill effluent contaminated soils using three potential plants
*Article not assigned to an issue yet
Oke Oluwatosin Gabriel, Adewole Moses Bamidele, Akinpelu Bolajoko Ayinke
Research Articles | Published: 11 July, 2026
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Keywords: Phytoremediation, Nicotiana tabacum, Amaranthus hybridus, Corchorus olitorius, Metals
Abstract
The study investigated remediation of palm oil mill effluent (POME) contaminated soils using Nicotiana tabacum (NIC), Amaranthus hybridus (AMA), and Corchorus olitorius (COR) plants. The study was carried out in Aba-oka Isinbode, Ekiti State, Nigeria. It was a field experiment conducted during the early rainy (May to the middle of August), late rainy (the middle of August to the middle of October), and early dry (the middle of October to December) seasons. Soil that has been exposed to continuous POME discharge from an oil palm mill for over 7 years and non-contaminated soils served as the study sites. Each site measured 8.5 m x 15 m, with 2.5 m x 1.5 m subplots, replicated four times to make a total of 12 subplots for each season. Soil samples were collected at the depths of 0–15 cm throughout the sowing period and analyzed using appropriate standard methods. The results show that soil pH in the non-contaminated and contaminated soils is 5.89 ± 0.55 and 6.85 ± 0.15 respectively. The remediation efficiency across the soils in which the study plants were grown is in this order: AMA > COR > NIC. The study concluded that palm oil mill effluent-contaminated soil could be significantly cleaned up using Amaranthus hybridus, Corchorus olitorius, and Nicotiana tabacum. It is therefore recommended that edible food crops should not be cultivated on POME-contaminated soils.
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Author Information
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria