Pig dung bacteria were isolated and screened for crude oil degrading capabilities. The pig dung was also investigated for enhancement of crude oil biodegradation. Addition of chicken manure to oil polluted soil (at 10% (v/w) pollution level) stimulated the biodegradation of lagoma crude oil used in the present study. In the soil amended with pig dung, 68.2% of the crude oil was degraded, whereas only 50.7% of same oil was degraded in the unamended soil. The pH of the amended soil rose from 6.2 to 7.2. Pig dung was found to contain 1.7 x 10 6 cfu g-1 crude oil degrading bacteria, and 1.8 x 10 8 cfu g-1 aerobic heterotrophs. The crude oil utilizing bacteria were identified as species of Pseudomonas, Proteus, Klebsiella, Bacillus and Micrococcus. Pig dung could therefore be an option for crude oil pollution mitigation project.

Perhaps there is no any other raw material that has impacted so much, and found wide application on human civilization than petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC). The paradox is that it is this same black gold that threatens human environment. PHC pollution in the environment, as well as the importance of natural interactions amongst living entities to arrest the problems hitherto caused by oil spills are hereby examined. Biological approaches to pollution remediation, which include phytoremediation, bioremediation, and application of biosurfactant, are discussed. Two angles of approach to bioremediation of PHC spills in the soil are identified; the bioaugmentation and biostimulation. The use of surfactants of microbial origin has been found to be environmentally friendly, naturally selective and stable at elevated temperatures, P H and salt concentration. Similarly, genetic methods have been found to be overwhelmingly promising in detecting as well as assessing PHC soil pollution, and clean up.