Bulk density

The petroleum hydrocarbons are potent source of pollution. Their large scale use, transport and refining has uplifted the concentration of these pollutants in the atmosphere. They are toxic compounds which are potentially carcinogenic and mutagenic. Presence of oily hydrocarbons in the soil influences the soil characters. In this study physico-chemical properties and microbial counts of three hydrocarbon polluted sites were compared with their uncontaminated counterparts. It was observed that the presence of oily hydrocarbons have a strong negative impact on the soil porosity, pH and soluble carbonates while a significant negative correlation exists between TPH and water holding capacity. The TPH significantly affected the organic matter, C:N ratio, and the bacterial population inhabiting in the contaminated soil.