Assessment of Physicochemical Properties and Heavy Metal Load in Soils of Ebocha Gas Flaring Site in Rivers State, Nigeria

The negative impact of gas flaring on the environment cannot be overemphasised. This study assessed the effect of gas flaring on the physicochemical properties and heavy metal contents in soils of Ebocha gas flaring site in Rivers State. It involved the assessment of various distances from gas flaring point to 200 meters away (50 m, 100 m, 150 m, and 200 m) which represents the extent of gas flared pollution on soils to determine the physicochemical properties and heavy metal load. The gas flaring significantly decreased soil organic carbon and calcium content when compared with non-gas flaring polluted soils. Soil acidity increased, soil exchangeable ions decreased. N, P and K were altered in gas flared soils when compared to the controls. There were detrimental effects on soils physicochemical properties. Heavy metals observed were Cd (Cadmium), Ni (Nickel), As (Arsenic), Cr (Chromium), while Pb (Lead) was not detected. The concentration of heavy metals in gas flared soils decreases down soil depth from 0-15 cm to 45-60 cm respectively. The gas flaring extremely caused the acidic nature of gas flared soils. Coefficient of variation (CV) in percentage shows significant increase in acidic nature of the gas flared soils when compared with the control soils.