1.0 Introduction
Used motor oil is a very dangerous polluting product. It contains PAH's and high levels of metals. PAH's such as benzo[a]pyrene, are well known for their high carcinogenity. Considerable quantities of heavy metals such as Pb, Zn, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Cd are contained in used crankcase oil, these metals are highly toxic to organisms.
In Nigeria, it is common among motor mechanics to dispose waste oils into gutters, water drains and soil (Okonokhua et al., 2007). Waste oils is defined as used lubricating oils obtained after servicing and subsequently draining from automobile and generator engines. Spent oils contain high percentage of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons, nitrogen and sulphur compounds and metals (magnesium, calcium, zinc, lead) than fresh oils, these metals are introduced into the oil as a result of wear and tear of the engine (Mohd et al., 2011) (Mohd. Mozamil Bhat; Shiv Shsankar, Shikha, Mohammad Yunus and Shukai R. N (2011): Remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil through microbial degradation – FTIR based prediction. Advances in Applied Science Research 2(2): 321 – 326.).