Response of Different Types of Soil Exposed to Cutting Oil Contamination

Soil in the vicinity of various industries, particularly in the oil and metal sectors, is at risk of contamination either directly from the release of pollutants such as hydrocarbons, oils and metals, or indirectly from residues generated during waste treatment processes. In this study, we tested the influence of 4% prepared cutting oils on the physicochemical parameters of different soil types. The soils were contaminated with 10% (v/w) cutting oils. We found that the soils reacted differently to the cutting oils. In the case of the first soil type (Soil 1), the organic carbon percentage decreased from 3.78% to 3.2% two weeks after contamination. Conversely, the second soil type (Soil 2) exhibited an increase from 4.36% to 4.9%. Furthermore, conductivity, water content, and C/N values increased for both soil types. The different soils analyzed showed changes in soil texture and particle size distribution after contamination. In particular, in the case of soils 1 and 2, there was an increase in the percentage of clay, associated with a decrease in the percentage of silt after contamination, while the percentage of sand remained constant throughout the study period.