Oil Spill Research Articles

Оценка потенциального ущерба почвам от аварийных разливов нефти и нефтепродуктов на территории Арктического региона

The intensification of economic activities by oil and gas companies in the Arctic has significantly increased the risk of environmental damage, necessitating compensation for potential harm caused by these businesses. A major risk factor in this context is accidental oil spills, which are particularly challenging to predict, thereby complicating the assessment of their consequences and the development of preventive measures. The most advanced forecasting methods rely on probabilistic assessments of spill risk factors, which require special field studies and statistical data. This research considers the key approaches to the economic assessment of environmental damage, emphasizing the need to consider the unique characteristics of the Arctic.The goal of the study is to estimate the most probable soil damage from accidental oil spills using a simulation model. It will be especially relevant for territories where the area affected by accidental oil spills is considerable or has increased significantly over the past few years, according to available statistical data. In the Arctic, the Usinsky District of the Komi Republic is one such region. Using the case of this district, an assessment of potential damage is conducted for three scenarios with varying levels of pollution. The results enable an evaluation of potential damage, providing different values corresponding to multiple scenarios with distinct probabilities. The findings can inform oil and gas companies in developing preventive measures and assist regulatory authorities in determining appropriate environmental reparations from companies.

The effects of high-precision scale dispersant concentrations on microbial community and new implications for dispersant application after marine oil spills

The usage of dispersant presents a difficult choice: the uncertainty of beneficial biodegradation of spilled oil against what could be a greater environmental impact from the finely dispersed oil. Here, we evaluated the effect of dispersant on the microbial community at a high-precision concentration (0.1–20 % (v/v), 10 gradients) to elucidate the uncertainty of beneficial biodegradation and proposed the associated mechanism. Results at the phylum, class, and genus level revealed no significant changes in microbial diversity and structure at low-concentration dispersants (0.1–3 %), but significant changes at high-concentration dispersants (5–20 %). For beneficial biodegradation, 4 oil-degrading bacteria and 3 non-oil-degrading bacteria exhibited strong positive (R2 > 0.72) and negative (R2 > 0.73) correlations at 0.1–3 % low-concentrations. More importantly, oil-degrading bacteria abundance exceeded 75.9 % in the total abundance proportion (70.1 %) of them. This indicated low-concentration dispersants can promote biodegradation. In the high-concentrations, similar but opposite results were shown. Therefore, dispersant concentration dominates biodegradation of spilled oil. Finally, we proposed the associated “bacterial peaking” mechanism and clarified that biodegradation increases under the drive of the affected bacteria and reach a peak at low-concentration dispersants, but decline rapidly at high-concentrations. This study provided a new insight to understand the usage of dispersant on biodegradation of spilled oil in the sea.

Hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations in permanently cold deep-sea sediments in the NW Atlantic

Permanently cold deep-sea sediments (2500–3500 m water depth) with and without indications of thermogenic hydrocarbon seepage were exposed to naphtha to examine the presence and potential of cold-adapted aerobic hydrocarbon-degrading microbial populations. Monitoring these microcosms for volatile hydrocarbons by GC–MS revealed sediments without in situ hydrocarbons responded more rapidly to naphtha amendment than hydrocarbon seep sediments overall, but seep sediments removed aromatic hydrocarbons benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX) more readily. Naphtha-driven aerobic respiration was more evident in surface sediment (0–20 cmbsf) than deeper anoxic layers (>130 cmbsf) that responded less rapidly. In all cases, enrichment of Gammaproteobacteria included lineages of Oleispira, Pseudomonas, and Alteromonas known to be associated with marine oil spills. On the other hand, taxa known to be prevalent in situ and diagnostic for thermogenic hydrocarbon seepage in deep sea sediment, did not respond to naphtha amendment. This suggests a limited role for these prevalent seep-associated populations in the context of aerobic hydrocarbon biodegradation.

Envisioning a decision support system for the planning of alternative fuel bunkering operations in Singapore

Abstract In the coming decades, the global maritime industry will face a most formidable technological and societal challenge set by climate change – achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. To meet this target, ships are shifting towards the use of low-carbon alternative fuels such as ammonia and methanol. While this paradigm shift to the bunkering of greener fuels is encouraging, it also introduces a new and unique type of environmental risk in the unfortunate scenario of a spill. In the past decades numerous environmental studies have been conducted and mitigation techniques for petroleum oil spills have been developed. However, ammonia and methanol spills are comparatively less understood globally and in the region. There is a significant knowledge gap regarding how the complex atmosphere, hydrodynamic and environmental conditions of the Singapore Straits may influence the dispersion and assimilation of hypothetical ammonia or methanol plumes. Together with other emerging alternative fuels such as electricity and hydrogen, ammonia and methanol have different physical and chemical properties in ambient water compared to conventional LNG or petroleum oil which makes modelling the risk they pose to the environment more challenging. In view of these challenges, the key objective of our research is to develop an operationally running decision support system (DSS) that combines physics-based atmospheric and coastal hydrodynamic models that can forecast the marine and atmospheric plume dispersion of alternative fuels. This forecasting capability will be supplemented with data-driven and rule-based optimisation algorithms that can be used to determine the optimal mitigation scenarios which minimises the potential environmental impacts. Overall, the DSS will integrate observation data, models, mitigation scenarios, and decision-making tools pertaining to efficient and safe bunkering operations within Singapore’s ports. This is essential as the use of alternative fuels in maritime industry becomes more common in Singapore and around the world. Such a system will aid relevant authorities to better calculate risk and plan mitigation measures at designated bunkering locations and periods having optimal atmospheric, hydraulics, and environmental conditions. In this paper, we describe the potential consequences of alternative fuel spills, mitigation measures and a plan for assessing their environmental impact within the context of Singapore. We will review the limited current efforts to model ammonia spills in the literature and propose for a more integrated modelling approach through the DSS.

A robust and high-throughput superhydrophobic-superoleophilic Zn/Ni composite coating prepared on stainless steel mesh for oil-water separation

Frequent oil spills and the discharge of oily wastewater have adverse effects on the environment and ecosystems. Against the backdrop of escalating environmental concerns, developing high-performing and eco-friendly oil-water separation techniques is crucial. In this study, we successfully created a PFOTS-Zn/Ni superhydrophobic-superoleophilic coating, abbreviated as PZNM, by electroplating Zn2+ and Ni2+ on the stainless steel mesh, followed by modification with perfluorooctyltriethoxysilane-ethanol solution. The wettability test results show that the water contact angle (WCA) reaches 161.3°, with a water sliding angle (WSA) of 2°, and the oil contact angle (OCA) is approximately 0°. Subsequently, the PZNM samples were subjected to tests including blade scratching combined with sandpaper abrasion, tape peeling, bending tests, submerging in acidic and alkaline solutions, high-temperature gradient exposure, and electrochemical corrosion to verify their outstanding long-term durability. Most importantly, it can be shaped into a practical continuous oil-water separation device. In the oil-water separation test, it was found that the superhydrophobic-superoleophilic PZNM achieves highly efficient oil-water separation, with a water/n-hexadecane separation efficiency of up to 93.2 % and a water-chloroform separation flux of 6450±30 L·m−2·h−1. The preparation process is straightforward and green, providing an economical solution. This design holds considerable prospects for applications in the domain of oil-water separation.

Synthesis of magnetic polystyrene nanocomposite by emulsion polymerization using a photo-responsive emulsifier for efficient crude oil absorption

Both human health and marine life are seriously threatened by crude oil spills into bodies of water. For effective crude oil spill cleaning, we created a magnetic polystyrene (m-PS) nanocomposite. The use of magnetic nanoparticles makes crude oil absorption more environmentally friendly by making it easier to collect and recycle using an external magnetic field. To make Fe3O4 nanoparticles compatible with the hydrophobic styrene monomer used in emulsion polymerization, they were treated using a hydrophobic surface modification reaction. This alteration facilitated the grafting of polystyrene (PS) chains onto the nanoparticles, which then underwent emulsion polymerization. As an emulsifier, a light-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer containing coumarin was created via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. This allowed for regulated emulsification and demulsification in response to UV stimulation. The synthesized m-PS nanocomposite demonstrated a crude oil absorption capacity of up to 2.31 times of its own weight, indicating its high efficiency for crude oil spill cleanup. The synthetic emulsifier exhibited a significantly lower critical micelle concentration compared to the commercial P105 emulsifier (0.0976 against 0.354 mg/mL, respectively), indicating higher efficiency and reduced environmental impact. For a more thorough comprehension of the reported results, we also assessed the Hofmeister effect in PS produced using commercial and synthetic emulsifiers.

Corrosion-induced thickness diminution of an ageing bulk carrier

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development introduced 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has endorsed connections between the maritime sector and SDGs, emphasising sustainable production in the marine environment. Consequently, technical considerations, such as ship structure sustainability, are crucial for marine safety. The impact of corrosion influences the structural degradation of vessels and the risk of structural failure and fuel oil spills significantly. The formulation of predictive corrosion models, grounded in historical data accumulated during vessel operations, emerges as an optimal strategy for designing structural elements and guaranteeing their structural integrity. This paper analyses non-linear deterministic and stochastic corrosion models, focusing on an ageing bulk carrier, to provide design-phase information for sustainable structures. Utilising data on measured steel plate thickness over a 20-year operational period, non-linear models are employed to calculate the millimetres of thickness diminution. Assuming corrosion onset at 7, 8, and 9 years, corresponding coefficients are computed, based on the developed model. A model is also considered, in which there were no assumptions about the beginning of corrosion initiation. The corresponding annual corrosion rate was observed separately in each of the models, as a deterministic variable and as a probabilistic random variable. This approach aims to enhance the understanding of the causal relationship between corrosion processes and structural performance, contributing to the development of sustainable design practices in the maritime industry.

Evaluating the reliability of solid phase extraction techniques for hydrocarbon analysis by GC–MS

Saturate and aromatic compounds are essential in the petroleum industry for assessing the thermal maturity of source rocks and oils, which is critical for basin modeling and sweet-spot mapping. These compounds also play a role in environmental applications, such as oil spill fingerprinting and biogeochemistry. However, the analysis of these compounds by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) requires meticulous and time-consuming separation processes. Traditional methods like normal-phase liquid column chromatography (LCC) involve large volumes of harmful solvents. This study evaluates the effectiveness of five different sorbents using solid-phase extraction (SPE) techniques—neutral Si, SiOH, Ag-ion, neutral Al, and Ag-ion mixed with activated silica—compared to LCC. The goal was to discern differences in peak resolution, concentration, and isomer ratios of saturate and aromatic compounds for thermal maturity and source rock assessments. The results show that SiOH, neutral Si, and neutral Al do not fully separate aromatic compounds from the saturate fraction, sometimes leaving 40–100% of aromatics within the saturate fraction. Ag-ion mixed with activated silica provided the best separation, resulting in up to 23 times higher aromatic concentration than SiOH. This method is more reliable for quantifying both saturate and aromatic compounds, increases the efficiency of hydrocarbon evaluations, and reduces solvent consumption by 63%, offering a more sustainable approach to hydrocarbon analysis.

ИЗУЧЕНИЕ СОРБЦИОННОЙ СПОСОБНОСТИ МОДИФИЦИРОВАННОГО ДИОКСИДА КРЕМНИЯ ПО ОТНОШЕНИЮ К НЕФТИ

Oil production and transportation are associated with the risk of man-made accidents that lead to pollution of soil and water surfaces. Sorbents of various natures, in particular silicates, are widely used t o remove oil pollution. An urgent task is to improve the sorption properties of silicon dioxide by modifying it with metal ions and subsequent hydrophobization with organosilicon compounds. It has been established that modifying the surface of silicon dioxide with metal ions increases its sorption activity in relation to oil. Optimum concentrations of the hydrophobizer that ensure high buoyancy of the sorbents have been determined

Studies to assess natural resource recovery and evaluate monitoring methods for restored bottomland hardwood forests.

The Natural Resource Damage Assessment and Restoration process assesses natural resource injury due to oil or chemical spills and calculates the damages to compensate the public for those injuries. Ecological restoration provides a means for recovering resources injured or lost due to contamination from oil or chemical spills by restoring the injured site after remediation, or acquiring or reconstructing equivalent resources off site to replace those lost due to the spill. In the case of restored forests, once restoration is implemented, monitoring of forest ecology helps keep recovery on track, with the maturation of forest vegetation, recovered soil conditions, and development of microbial, fungal, and faunal communities, necessary for ecologically functioning forests. This series of papers focuses on applying methods for monitoring restoration progress in forest vegetation and soils, and amphibian, avian, and mammalian communities, assessing strengths and weaknesses of different methods, and evaluating levels of effort needed to obtain accurate indications of forest ecological condition. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2024;00:1-5. © 2024 The Author(s). Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).

An Improved Convolutional Neural Network for Pipe Leakage Identification Based on Acoustic Emission

Oil and gas pipelines are the lifelines of the energy market, but due to long-term use and environmental factors, these pipelines are prone to corrosion and leaks. Offshore oil and gas pipeline leaks, in particular, can lead to severe consequences such as platform fires and explosions. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately and swiftly identify oil and gas leaks on offshore platforms. This is of significant importance for improving early warning systems, enhancing maintenance efficiency, and reducing economic losses. Currently, the efficiency of identifying leaks in offshore platform pipelines still needs improvement. To address this, the present study first established an experimental platform to simulate pipeline leaks in a marine environment. Laboratory leakage signal data were collected, and on-site noise data were gathered from the “Liwan 3-1” offshore oil and gas platform. By integrating leakage signals with on-site noise data, this study aimed to closely mimic real-world application scenarios. Subsequently, several neural network-based leakage identification methods were applied to the integrated dataset, including a probabilistic neural network (PNN) combined with time-domain feature extraction, a Backpropagation Neural Network (BPNN) optimized with simulated annealing and particle swarm optimization, and a Long Short-Term Memory Network (LSTM) combined with Mel-Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC). Corresponding models were constructed, and the effectiveness of leak detection was validated using test sets. Additionally, this paper proposes an improved convolutional neural network (CNN) leakage detection technology named SART-1DCNN. This technology optimizes the network architecture by introducing attention mechanisms, transformer modules, residual blocks, and combining them with Dropout and optimization algorithms, which significantly enhances data recognition accuracy. It achieves a high accuracy rate of 99.44% on the dataset. This work is capable of detecting pipeline leaks with high accuracy.

Modulating outcomes of oil drops bursting at a water–air interface

Recent studies have shown that capillary waves generated by the bursting of an oil drop at the water–air interface produces a daughter droplet inside the bath, while a part of it floats above it. Successive bursting events produce next generations of daughter droplets, gradually diminishing in size until the entire volume of oil rests atop the water–air interface. In this work, we demonstrate two different ways to modulate this process by modifying the constitution of the drop. First, we introduce hydrophilic clay particles inside the parent oil drop and show that it arrests the cascade of daughter droplet generation preventing it from floating over the water–air interface. Second, we show that bursting behavior can be modified by a compound water–oil–air interface made of a film of oil with finite thickness and design a regime map, which displays each of these outcomes. We underpin both of these demonstrations by theoretical arguments providing criteria to predict outcomes resulting therein. Finally, all our scenarios have a direct relation to control of oil–water separation and stability of emulsified solutions in a wide variety of applications, which include drug delivery, enhanced oil recovery, oil spills, and food processing, where a dispersed oil phase tries to separate from a continuous phase.

PREVENTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT POLLUTION IN THE COASTAL AREA OF ALBANIA

Water space on the globe occupies a total area of about 360 million km2, which constitutes 70% of the Earth's surface, becoming the most important mode of transportation in the field of import and export trade. Our daily lives are closely linked to the sea, where water surfaces have become an important part of people's lives around the world. However, the current situation of the marine environment is not optimistic, marine pollution has become a significant topic in today's society. All marine pollution incidents such as oil spills or leaks, chemical incidents, plastic pollution, air pollution from ships, etc., have caused significant and difficult recovery of the marine environment. Today, a special attention is being given to the prevention and control of the appearance of these marine pollutions, as well as the management of polluted waters. The MARPOL Convention is the main international convention covering the prevention of pollution of the marine environment by ships from operational or accidental causes. The aim of this study is to give an overview of the existing marine pollution in the coastal part of Albania and develop solutions to existing problems. The Republic of Albania has acceded to this convention, has drafted national legislation as well as management plans for the prevention of marine pollution.

Risk Management Analysis Based on ISO 31000:2018 at Andi Djemma Masamba Airport, Luwu Regency

The density of activities that take place around the operating facilities at Andi Djemma Masamba Airport so that the Management of the Andi Jemma Airport Operator Unit (UPBU) Office has launched the development of Andi Djemma Masamba Airport as an aviation company so that it continues to carry out various facility improvements, especially in risk prevention with potential activities with high losses, therefore it is necessary to conduct research to find out how to map, risk assessment and design a risk control and mitigation system at the Operations facility at Andi Djemma Masamba Airport caused by activities that have the potential to cause risk. The stages of the risk management process refer to ISO 31000: 2018 including risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation. Expected impact and likelihood of occurrence are mapped through the risk matrix from the Federation Aviation Administration (FAA). The results showed that at the andi djemma masamba airport there were 6 events that fell into the red category, namely Aircraft accidents during take off/landing, Aircraft accidents in the apron area, Escape of dangerous goods into the aircraft, Fuel Spills on the Apron/Taxiway, Lack of building maintenance, The security inspection process is less than optimal.

Detection of Nitrate-Reducing/Denitrifying Bacteria from Contaminated and Uncontaminated Tallgrass Prairie Soil: Limitations of PCR Primers.

Contamination of soil by spills of crude oil and oilfield brine is known to affect the species composition and functioning of soil microbial communities. However, the effect of such contamination on nitrogen cycling, an important biogeochemical cycle in tallgrass prairie soil, is less well known. Detecting nitrate-reducing (NR) and denitrifying (DN) bacteria via PCR amplification of the genes essential for these processes depends on how well PCR primers match the sequences of these bacteria. In this study, we enriched for NR and DN bacteria from oil/brine tallgrass prairie soil contaminated 5-10 years previously versus those cultured from uncontaminated soil, confirmed the capacity of 75 strains isolated from the enrichments to reduce nitrate and/nitrite, then screened the strains with primers specific to seven nitrogen cycle functional genes. The strains comprised a phylogenetically diverse group of NR and DN bacteria, with proportionately more γ-Proteobacteria in oil-contaminated sites and more Bacilli in brine-contaminated sites, suggesting some residual effect of the contaminants on the NR and DN species distribution. Around 82% of the strains shown to reduce nitrate/nitrite would not be identified as NR and DN bacteria by the battery of NR and DN primers used. Our results indicate an urgent need to expand the NR/DN functional gene primer database by first identifying novel NR/DN strains through their capacity to reduce nitrate/nitrite.

Advanced superhydrophobic polylactic acid fibers with high porosity and biodegradability for efficient solvent recovery

The conventional oil-absorbing materials utilized for addressing oil and organic solvent pollution are plagued by the issue of secondary pollution. In this study, biodegradable porous polylactic acid (PLA) fiber materials were prepared using centrifugal spinning technology, with PLA and polyvinyl butyral (PVB) as raw materials. PVB was utilized as a pore-forming agent to fabricate multi-layered porous PLA fiber materials. When the content of PVB in the spinning solution was 14 %, the porous PLA fibers exhibited the maximum specific surface area of 60.7 m2/g and a porosity of up to 85.4 %, interior of the fiber contained numerous mesopores. Additionally, the porous PLA fibers demonstrated excellent superhydrophobic oil absorption properties, with a water static contact angle of 137.8° and oil or organic solvent absorption capacities ranging from 10 to 17.7 g/g. Furthermore, porous PLA fiber materials exhibited outstanding biodegradability, with a degradation mass loss rate of 42.3–45.1 %. Therefore, superhydrophobic and oleophilic biomass-based PLA fiber materials prepared in centrifugal spinning show promising applications in the recovery of organic solvents and oily substances.

A legal and regulatory compliance framework for maritime operations in Nigerian oil companies

The maritime sector plays a critical role in Nigeria's oil industry, serving as the primary conduit for offshore oil exploration, production, and transportation. As the country remains heavily reliant on its oil revenues, ensuring that maritime operations comply with legal and regulatory standards is crucial for operational safety, environmental sustainability, and economic stability. This review outlines a comprehensive legal and regulatory compliance framework for maritime operations in Nigerian oil companies, focusing on the roles of key regulatory bodies such as the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), and the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA). It explores major laws such as the Coastal and Inland Shipping (Cabotage) Act, Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Act, highlighting their implications for offshore drilling, oil transportation, and environmental protection. Additionally, the review discusses the compliance challenges Nigerian oil companies face, including environmental risks, maritime security threats, jurisdictional conflicts, and the technical demands of adhering to safety standards. To address these challenges, the study emphasizes the need for regular audits, technology integration, capacity building, and collaborative engagements between oil companies and regulatory authorities. Through case studies on oil spill response and the enforcement of cabotage laws, the review underscores the importance of robust regulatory enforcement to ensure safety, mitigate environmental damage, and enhance operational efficiency. This framework is essential for the future growth of Nigeria’s oil sector, balancing economic gains with legal compliance and sustainability in maritime operations.

Fabrication of versatile and durable superhydrophobic cotton fabrics using PTA-Ala adhesive

In recent years, the preparation of functional textiles based on polyphenols adhesion has received extensive attention and research. However, polyphenols are prone to peroxidation during oxidative polymerization, which can compromise the interfacial adhesion of their monomers. Reintroducing reactive functional groups after oxidative polymerization of polyphenols may potentially compensate for the lost interfacial adhesion while increasing cohesion. In this paper, L-alanine (Ala) is introduced into poly (tannic acid) (PTA) solution to generate the PTA-Ala via Michael addition and Schiff base reaction. Original cotton fabrics are modified with PTA-Ala solution to enhance adhesion strength between the fabrics and subsequent functional modifiers. A silver nanowire network is then incorporated to increase the surface roughness through tannic acid reduction. Finally, polydimethylsiloxane is applied to reduce fabric surface energy, resulting in superhydrophobic multifunctional OH-PDMS/Ag/PTA-Ala/cotton fabrics. The finished cotton fabric exhibits a water contact angle of 166.7 ± 1.9° and a rolling angle of 5 ± 0.5°. Moreover, the fabric features diverse functionalities such as oil-water separation, photothermal conversion, antimicrobial properties, water collection, and anti-icing capabilities, alongside excellent durability and self-healing properties that extend its service life. This finished cotton fabric demonstrates promising applications in oil pollution control, outdoor clothing and medical protection, highlighting its broad across various industries.

Impact of Crude Oil Pollution on some Geotechnical Characteristics of North Rumaila Soils in the Southern Iraqi Province of Basrah Governorate

Background: Pollution affects the soil and results in a change in its natural, chemical, or organic characteristics and properties, which directly or indirectly affect the geotechnical properties of the soil and make it unsuitable for engineering use. The aim of the study is to determine how adding various amounts of crude oil to the study area's soil affects the soil's geotechnical characteristics, including soil shear resistance, compaction coefficients, and California bearing capacity. Materials and Methods: The North Rumaila site was chosen for the study. At a depth of one meter, natural, pollution-free soil was extracted, and weight percentages of 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10% of crude oil were added. Grain size analysis, moisture content, direct shear, compaction, and Californian bearing tests were conducted. Results: The findings indicate that the soil at the North Rumaila site has a moisture content of 6.45% and is mostly silty sand with small amounts of clay and gravel. Crude oil was added to the soil, which caused the Californian to lose some of its bearing capacity, the optimal moisture content to raise, the angle of internal friction to decrease, and the bearing capacity of the soil to decrease. Conclusion: Pollution by crude oil effects negatively impacted the soil's geotechnical qualities.

Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage in Nigeria: Establishment of an Administrative Institution with Arbitrative Power to the Rescue?

Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage in Nigeria: Establishment of an Administrative Institution with Arbitrative Power to the Rescue?