Studies were carried out to investigate the volume and disposal methods of spent automobile engine oil
generated at Nekede Mechanic Village in Owerri, Imo State Nigeria, between February and June 2008, in order to
establish the presence pollution problem as result of inappropriate disposal of spent engine oil in the study area. The
study utilized structured questionnaire, personal interviews and field observations generate relevant data on the
Mechanic village. Results obtained showed that over 1.4 million liters of spent engine oil was produced annually in
the village. About 60% of the mechanics disposed spent engine oil on the soil, within their immediate environment,
while others used it for other purposes, such as pest control, sharpening of blades and reuse in heavy trucks among
others. Another 88.3% of mechanics were ignorant of environmental impact of inappropriate spent engine oil
disposal. The study concluded that there is poor spent engine oil poor disposal attitudes of among the automobile
mechanics and that such a practice may lead to serious hydrocarbon pollution at the Nekede mechanic village.
[Angela C. Udebuani, Chidiogo G. Okoli, Ifeanyi C. Okoli, Harriet C. Nwigwe and Patrick T. E. Ozoh
Assessments of the volume and disposal methods of spent engine oil generated in Nekede mechanic village, Owerri,
Nigeria