Methods of Oil Spill Cleanups Oil Spill PBL

Containment of Oil Spill Cleanup Oil is surrounded with booms and recovered by skimmers Booms-physical barriers that keep oil from entering or exiting a certain area Skimmers-floating systems that concentrate and remove oil as they skim across the water

Skimmers Skimmers may spin oil, so that it is separted from water using centripetal force Lift or draw oil from the water surface onto a conveyor belt Or use oleophilic (oil-adherent) materials to absorb oil from the water.

Containment and collection While containment and collection is the most eco-friendly manner of cleaning up an oil spill, it is not highly efficient, being only 10-15% effective, in the best circumstances

Absorbents Absorbent materials are used inside booms to draw and accumulate oil They include natural materials such as straw, grasses, hair, wood chips, coconut husks, or sponges made of synthetic diaper materials

Dispersants Chemicals that are used like detergents to break down, disperse, and sink oil Example Corexit 9500

Fire Burning is a very efficient means of removing oil But it releases toxic smoke to the environment

Physical Removal of Contaminated Vegetation Collecting and relocating grasses, plants, shrubs that are saturated with oil from the environment Loss of Sea Grasses and other vegetation is harmful as these are food supplies for organisms

Clean up with High Pressure Hoses and Rakes Forcing warm water over the shoreline to wash oil from vegetation and rocks, back to the ocean for skimming This method was found to be very damaging to the environment and life in the areas when used during cleanup following the 1989 Exxon Valdez tanker spill

Bioremediation Enhancing bacterial breakdown of oil by supplying a source of nitrogen or oxygen to promote growth of naturally occurring oil eating bacteria Still a lot of research is needed. Not enough evidence on it’s effects on the environment both positive or negative

Natural Consequences Taking no Action Leaving nature to break down the oil by evaporation, wave action, and photo-oxidation by the sun This technique is especially popular with open ocean spills where cleanup is difficult and inefficient