Cleaning up Emergency Oil Spills from the Water Surface with Magnetic Adsorbents

Abstract

There was suggested a method of obtaining a complex adsorbent with magnetic properties for the oil spill clean-up from the water surface by means of controlled magnetic field. As magnetic filler a finely-dispersed iron-ore concentrate in the form of magnetite, obtained by wet magnetic separation of crushed iron ore, was suggested. As an adsorbing component the disintegrating electric-furnace steelmaking slag, obtained by dry air-cooling method, was selected. The mass ratio of components slag:magnetite is 1(1,5÷2,0). For cleaning up emergency oil spills with the suggested magnetic adsorbent a facility, which is installed on a twin-hulled oil recovery vessel, was designed. The vessel contains a rectangular case between the vessel hulls with inlet and outlet for the treated water, the bottom of which is a permanently moving belt. Above the belt, at the end point of it there is an oil-gathering drum with magnetic system. The adsorbent is poured to oil-products layer from a hopper, provided with drum feeder. Due to the increased bulk weight the adsorbent sinks rapidly into the oil layer on the water surface. If the large non-floating flocculi are formed, they sink and sedimentate on the moving belt and are moved to the oil-gathering drum. The saturated adsorbent is removed from the drum surface with a scraper, connected with a gutter, with contains a rotating auger.