1.1 Introduction
Palm tree (Elaeis Guineensis) is a tropical forest palm in the Southern and Western parts of Nigeria, palm oil production is one of the major socio-economic activities of inhabitants especially the tropical parts of the Delta due to abundant palm trees and other palm families, as such, large quantities of palm fruits are harvested and processed weekly and most times, daily.
The palm oil industry is a major agro-based one in Africa, especially in the South/Western part where palm oil trees are found both in the wild and plantations. During processing of the ripe fruit in order to extract the palm oil, a lot of waste water (palm oil-mill effluent) is generated. Palm oil processing is a systematic procedure where palm oil is produced from oil palm (Elaeis Guineensis). Palm oil is naturally reddish because it contains a high amount of beta-carotene.
Palm oil processing waste is a collective term for more or less viscous, generally organic chemical gelatinous liquid which is mostly discarded untreated into water or oil has a very high nutrient. Content, and large oil palm plantations prefer to use it directly as fertilizer. The fact that the effect of chronic palm oil processing waste discharged on our agricultural soil has not been given the proper attention it deserves may be due to the limited knowledge of its effects (Zakaria, 2002).
During processing, large quantities of palm oil processing waste are discharged onto the soil. This has been the practices of the people for decades, but studies have shown that the application of organic wastes contain considerable amounts of plant. Nutrients, including micronutrients whose benefits to soil organisms cannot be overemphasized. However, some palm oil processing waste are organic in nature, it may have tremendous effects on the supply of nutrient elements to the soil.
According to Odu and Mba (1991), inorganic fertilizers supply nutrient elements through microbial assistance but also help in the improvement of soil physical properties.
Palm oil processing waste contains high organic load substantial amount of plant nutrients and represent a low-cost source of plant nutrients when fermented (Kittikun et al., 2000). It is generally believed that the toxicity effect of palm oil processing waste is due to the presence of phenols and other organic acids which are responsible for phytotoxic effect and antibacterial activities (Capasso et al., 1992). However, the polyphenolic fraction degrades with time and partially transforms in humic substances (Piotrowska, 2006).
This chapter will address the background information that motivated this study, the challenges that prompted it, its aim, and its objectives as a preface to subsequent sections of the study. Additional factors include the study's significance, scope, limitations, and the definition of technical terms.
1.2 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the research is to study the microbiological and physico-chemical effect of palm oil processing waste on soil. The research work ascertains the impact of untreated palm oil processing waste on soil and also the physico-chemical changes that also occur in palm oil processing waste (POPW) treated soil.
Specifically, the objectives of this research is therefore aimed at evaluating the,
- Physicochemical changes that occurs in soil upon impact of palm oil processing waste;
- Effect of palm oil processing waste on the microbial population of the soil;
- Response of soil to uncontrolled application of untreated palm oil processing waste; and
- Agricultural side effects of the changes caused by the application of palm oil processing waste on soil parameters such as, Nitrate, phosphate, pH and moisture content.
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