CHAPTER I

Background of the study

Water is undoubtedly the most precious natural source that exists on our planet.
The addition of large amounts of materials to the water which adversely affect the
bodies of water is water pollution. Water pollution is one of the major pollution
problems that are faced by the nations of the world. Oil and grease is one of the
main causes of water pollution and the presence of the pollutants in the ocean are
due to the oil leakage of the ships and also oil spilling by the cargo ships. It has
been estimate that every year, seven million gallons of oil are accidentally spilled
into the oceans (krantz and kifferstein 2000)
Oil spill can coat the bodies of many marine organisms and birds, drastically
affecting their body processes, often leading to death. Oil spill blocks the sunlight
needed by phytoplankton which are the main producers of the marine ecosystem. It
can also interfere with normal working of power station and desalination plants that
require a continuous supply of clean seawater and with safe operation of coastal
industries and ports (prince et al 2003)
Both organic and inorganic contaminants in water, soil and groundwater can be
degraded or immobilized by naturally occurring processes. These naturally
occurring processes include sorption, dilution, dispersion, volatilization,
precipitation, ion exchange and abiotic transformation and biological degradation by
intrinsic organism (Christensen et al 2001)
Bioremediation is the term applied to technologies that accelerate natural processes
for degrading and detoxifying harmful chemicals in wastewater, groundwater and
soil. In many forms of bioremediation, microorganism, fungi, green plants or their
enzymes are utilized and managed through the control of environmental factors to
reduce environmental pollution (Gibson & Sayler,1992)

Objectives of the study

This study aimed to investigate the bioremediation of oil and grease using crude
enzyme from fermented peanuts (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Specifically , it sought to:

1. Determine the percent reduction of oil and grease concentration for the three
treated samples namely T0 (the negative control), T1 (crude enzyme from
fermented peanuts), and T2 (Bacillus subtilis ) after the remediation process.
2. Evaluate the efficiency of the three treatments in degrading oil and grease
contaminated water.
3. Determine the relationship between time and the physicochemical
parameter such as Oil and Grease Concentration, Total Solids Concentration
and pH value during the remediation process.