Oil Spill Response and Cleanup Techniques - Case Study Example

ENGLISH Introduction In the recent past, there has been oil spills in the water bodies. This has posed a great challenge in the marine life and the ecosystem.Normaly, most of the oil spills often occur at the ports or the waters at the coast. This causes contamination of the shoreline causing a great threat to the existence of the marine life. Therefore there is need for the oil recovery and cleanup to as to remove the possible threat. Ordinarily, all the cleanup methods posses some environmental impact. Therefore, the selection of a cleanup method should be done considering the effects towards the environment. This paper will examine, deluge method, chemical method, vacuum, high pressure washing method and use of microbes. Vacuum method is considered to be the best method since it has less effects towards the environment. The various techniques used for cleaning the water spills include the following: 1. Deluge -Cold water flooding This technique washes the surface oil to the edges so that it can be collected. The oil that floats on water and also found at the crevices is driven at the offshore.Normaly, a big pipe with a wide diameter is placed parallel to the shoreline above the oiled area. A flexible perforated header hose is used during deluge of intertidal shorelines to better conform to their profiles. “Ambient seawater is pumped through holes in the header pipes and flows down the beach face to the water. On porous beaches, water flows through the substrate pushing loose oil ahead of it (or floats oil to the waters surface) then transports the oil down slope for pickup. Flow is maintained as long as necessary to remove the majority of free oil. Oil is trapped by booms and picked up with a skimmer or other suitable equipment.” (Michel, 2013) This technique is only applicable to beaches that have sediments which are bigger than sand and a rocky shoreline. This method cannot be applied to a muddy, sandy and vegetated shoreline. This is because these elements may hinder the effectiveness of the removal of the oil. This technique will only be used on the shorelines that are oiled. This oil should be still fluid and it should also be adhering to the substrate and where oil has penetrated into boulder beaches. The advantages of this method is that it is less expensive compared to others techniques. The technique however has numerous disadvantages such as it is not suitable at stream mouths. These are places where the tide moves to are where there is biological living. The tides should be contained to prevent derived oil spillage. Another disadvantage is that the gravel and sand is washed away in the intertidal causing the habitat to be physically be disturbed thereby flushing the organism to the lower tidal places. The sub tidal causes the oiled sediment to be transported to shallow areas thereby contaminating the areas and also burying benthic organisms which are important in the soil. It is evident that this method is not suitable for it poses a threat to the living organisms at the beach area and it is not efficient in the removal of the oil. (Maxwell, 2011) 2. High Pressure Washing This technique is used to remove the trapped and weathered oil from the locations that cannot be accessed. These places are usually not acquiescent to any other mechanical removal. Normally, the water heaters that are based at the offshore on the barges or small land-based units will heat the water up to 170°F. This procedure requires the usage of other methods apart from the chemical method. The vacuum trucks or super suckers are used to remove the oil. The deluge system is used to flush the oil to the water surface for assemblage with the help of the skimmers. The sorbents can also be used to collect the oil. This method is applicable to the rocky shores, beaches that are gravel and riprap that are oiled. “This method is used when the oil has weathered to the point that even warm water at high pressure is not effective to remove the adhered oil, which must be removed due to continued release of oil.” (Michel, 2013) There is need to restrict and monitor the elevation of the pressure water so that it does not reach the habitat or cause harm to the marine life. The freed oil should be recovered so as to prevent more spillage of adjoining environments. Though this method has an advantage of being efficient in the removal of oil spillage, the technique is disadvantaged as it is prone of killing the micro organisms that are vital in the soil making. The marine life can also be threatened by the high pressure. The method is much expensive for it involves collection of the deluge and vacuum method making it less cost effective. This makes it not suitable for the removal of oil from the water. In case the vicinity in the shores is rich then there will be the need to make a decision to ascertain the damage to the shores caused by the hot water washing and the potential damage of the oil when it is left in the water. In addition the oil may contaminate the shore burying important organism. 3. Vacuum This involves the use of vacuum unit having a suction head to take away the free oil on the substrate and also from the water surface in sheltered areas. The equipment that is used for sucking ranges from the small units having 55 gallon drum to large super suckers which can lift huge rocks. The technique will only be used with the presence water spray systems to flush the oil towards the suction head. This technique is mounted offshore on barges or onshore on trucks. It can also be used as individual units on the boats at low tide. (Anonymous, 2013) This technique is used in all the environments especially when the oil is stranded on the shoreline or it is ensnared in the vegetation plantation.”Special restrictions should be identified for areas where foot traffic and equipment operation should be limited, such as rich intertidal communities. Operations in wetlands are to be very closely monitored, with a site-specific list of restrictions.” (Michel, 2013) The advantage of this method is that it leaves no chemical effects on the marine life. The vacuum only such the oil leaving the marine life to be healthy. This is because there is no use of chemicals during the cleaning of the spillage. The soil and marine life is preserved by the use of this technique. This method is also less expensive as it does not involve the usage of other complementing techniques and the oil extracted can be reused. 4. Chemical Oil Stabilization with Elastomizers This method solidifies oil on the water surface keeping it from spreading or escaping to other areas. “Normally, chemical agent enhancing polymerization of the hydrocarbon molecules applied by semi-liquid spray or as a dry chemical onto the oil in the proper dosage. Depending on the nature and concentration of the polymerizing agent, the oil can be rendered visco elastic, but still fluid, gelatinous, or semisolid. The primary purpose is to stabilize the oil keeping it from spreading or escaping, causing oiling elsewhere. This reduces the solubility of the light (and more toxic) fractions, by locking them into the polymer. This reduces both air and water exposure. Depending on the beach type and equipment used, recovery may be enhanced. Elastol is an example of an oil stabilizing agent that is usually used.” (Michel, 2013) “The method is Suitable on shorelines of low permeability where heavy oil has pooled on the surface, except vegetated shorelines. When heavy concentrations of liquid oil are on the substrate and adjacent water body, and physical removal cannot be completed prior to the next tide so that the oil is likely to move to a more sensitive shoreline type. Should be used in conjunction with booming or other physical containment. Not suitable for vegetated or riprap shore types. Should be avoided when birds or other wildlife that may be more adversely impacted by the congealed oil cannot be kept away from the treated shoreline. The congealed oil may stick to vegetation and wildlife, increasing physical damage to both. On riprap the congealed oil may remain in crevices where it may hamper recovery and prolong the release of sheens.” (Michel, 2013) “This method poses a great threat to the existence of the marine life. May enhance the smothering effect of oil on intertidal organisms. Thus, the treatment should be considered only for heavily oiled beaches where smothering effects are already maximal. The congealed oil may stick to vegetation and wildlife increasing physical damage, such as impaired flight in birds or impaired thermoregulation in mammals and birds whose feathers or fur become oiled.” (Michel, 2013) 5. Use of the microbes This method uses the bacteria and fungi to use the hydrocarbons as fuel and emit the carbon dioxide as a result just like the automotives. The microbes will break down the ring structures of hydrocarbons in the oil using enzymes and oxygen in the seawater. Ordinarily, chemical dispersants is used to break the oil into smaller droplets that bacteria can more easily consume. (Biello, 2010).This is because small droplets make microbial degradation much quicker. This method is advantaged since there is the usage of natural decomposion.However it is disadvantaged since the oil cannot be reused since it is consumed by the microbes.”At the same time, the addition of 130,000 gallons of dispersants deep beneath the surface is having uncertain effects; it may even end up killing the microbes it is meant to help thanks to the fact that Corexit 9527A contains the solvent 2-butoxyethanol, which is a known human carcinogen and toxic to animals and other life.” (Biello, 2010) Conclusion In conclusion, it is evidenced that the vacuum method or technique is the most suitable method to remove the oil spillage since it has no use of chemicals. The method allows the reuse of the oil. The other methods that have been used such as usage of microbes, chemical, deluge and high pressure do not guarantee the reusage of the oil. Works Cited Anonymous. (2013). Top 5 Green Ways to Clean Up Oil Spills | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation. Retrieved 2015, from http://inhabitat.com/top-5-green-ways-to-clean-up-oil-spills/ Biello, D. (2010, May). Slick Solution: How Microbes Will Clean Up the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill . Retrieved 2015, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-microbes-clean-up-oil-spills/ Maxwell, P. (2011). Response Techniques | US Environmental Protection Agency. Retrieve d 2015, from http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/learning/oiltech.htm Michel, J. (2013). Oil Spill Response and Cleanup Techniques. Retrieved 2015, fro m http://wildpro.twycrosszoo.org/000ADOBES/NOAAMontereyD162/chapter5.pdf Read More