Anti-Deposition Agents to prevent Spilled Oil from Fouling the Coastal Environment and Ecology

Abstract

Following the recent Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico, more than one million gallons of dispersant was deployed to the site of the spilled oil. The clean-up strategy in this case was to keep the oil at sea until it was microbiologically degraded. However, in many cases, such as near shore and inland water spills, conventional dispersants cannot be deployed. There is a need for oil treatments that prevent or at least minimize the wetting and spreading of oil on solid substrates, animate and inanimate. In response to the Deepwater incident, we devised anti-depositing dispersants to mitigate the deposition of oil on solid coastal surfaces including soil, sand, plants, and wild-life (especially birds). We focused on materials that were GRAS for human consumption by using commercially-available food-grade materials to provide an economical and environmentally friendly option for oil spill treatment. The dispersant comprises a primary surfactant, soy lecithin, which is biodegradable in the marine environment, and certain cellulose ethers as steric stabilizers to prevent deposition of oil at the oil/water/solid interfaces. Our technology is set apart from others on the market as it accomplishes all of the following functions:Disperses the oil into small dropletsEncapsulates the dispersed oil dropletsProvides buoyancy to the encapsulated droplets to cause them to move out of the water column to the surface to permit removal by skimming or other conventional meansInherently contains nutrients to initiate microbial biodegradation of the encapsulated oilConfers anti-deposition properties to prevent fouling and penetration of coastal substrates (such as birds and sediment) for the oils that escape capture by skimming and absorption.Comprises natural, renewable, environmentally-friendly, edible componentsAbstract classification: #5: Chemical Response Agents (other than dispersants)