IJLTEMAS International Journal of Latest Technology in Engineering, Management & Applied Science (IJLTEMAS) IJLTEMAS 2278-2540 IJLTEMAS 409 10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2026.150900058 Environmental Engineering and oil pollution remediation A Technical Review of the Effects of Bone Char, Spent-palm Bunch, and Inorganic Fertilizer in the Biodegradation of Hydrocarbon-Polluted Soil Nwude Ekene Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria Nigeria A. Nwude Afam Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria Nigeria J. Otaraku Ipeghan Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria Nigeria 15 9 1751 1767 20 09 2026 25 09 2026 09 10 2026 Biodegradation Bone-char Spent-Palm-Bunch NPK fertilizer Biostimulation Contaminated soil Abstract

This paper critically reviews the comparative mechanisms of bone char, Spent-Palm-Bunch (SPB), and NPK (Inorganic) fertilizers in driving the biodegradation of saturated, aromatic, resin, and asphaltene fractions in polluted tropical soils. Following a transparent search of relevant literatures, we identify the primary studies that report bone char, SPB, or NPK amendment of hydrocarbon-contaminated soil, extract their soil type, contaminant loading, amendment dose, trial duration, microbial response, hydrocarbon-fraction removal, pH shift, and stated limitations. Only one identified study places bone char and NPK head-to-head on the same soil under the same protocol; no identified study places all three amendments together. Kinetic modelling (first- and second-order decay) and Response Surface Methodology (RSM) have been applied within single-amendment studies to optimize dose and predict half-life, but never across amendments to test whether bone char, SPB, and NPK differ significantly in mechanism or outcome. We identify critical knowledge gaps in comparative field validation, bio-char/waste matrix optimization, and long-term ecosystem recovery. Finally, an integrated conceptual framework is proposed to guide scalable, bioremediation strategies, critical field-validation, dose-standardization, and joint-modelling work for hydrocarbon degraded tropical soils.

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