Abstract

To evaluate the biodegradation of polluted soil from the Burgan oil field in Kuwait, a novel combination of GC-MS & Pyrolysis-GC-MS fingerprinting approaches and metagenomic profiling of microbial populations was utilised. To assess the viability of this material for bioremediation, compost was applied to the soil in microcosms. The most successful study demonstrated a drop in TPH, showing high potential for wide-scale deployment utilising a technology that is both affordable and in keeping with the circular economy's guiding principles. The microbiological investigation revealed that adding compost improved the soil's organic matter and nutritional content. Compost additions act as a biostimulation rather than a bioaugmentation strategy since the microorganisms in the compost did not appear to play a significant role in bioremediation. The Chemical analysis of the various oil fractions revealed chemicals that decomposed quickly and others that were considerably more resistant to degradation.

Keywords: Oil Spill; Compost; Bioremediation; Oil Fingerprint, Microbial degradation