Managing Oil Spills Research Articles

Photothermal and Concus Finn capillary assisted superhydrophobic fibrous network enabling instant viscous oil transport for crude oil cleanup.

Rapid and effective removal of highly viscous oil spills from the sea remains a great challenge globally. Superhydrophobic materials are attractive candidates for handling oil spills, but they are restrained to recover oils with low viscosity exclusively. Herein, we report a novel polypyrrole wrapped superhydrophobic fibrous network using cross-shaped polyester fibers as starting blocks. The polypyrrole coating enables the absorbent to convert light to heat, ensuring that the viscosity of heavy oils in the proximity can be easily controlled. In the meanwhile, the special structure of the starting fibers initiates Concus Finn (CFin) capillary allowing instant oil transport in the network. When the absorbent is exposed to light oils (0-500 mPa.s), the oils can be transported instantly via CFin capillary. Interestingly, under synergistic effect of light-to-heat conversion and CFin capillary, a drawing-sticking crude oil strip (105 mPa.s) is sucked instantly against gravity by the absorbent. The absorbent is successfully applied to efficiently separate both oil/water mixtures and oil/water emulsions (efficiency > 99%). Such absorbent can absorb 62.99-74.23g/g light oils on average and up to 123.3g/g crude oil under 0-2 sun illumination, holding a huge potential in managing oil spills.

Reusable carbon nanotube-embedded polystyrene/polyacrylonitrile nanofibrous sorbent for managing oil spills

Marine oil spills and oil contamination in water are crucial issues because they directly affect marine ecosystems. In this study, the carbon nanotube (CNT)-embedded polystyrene (PS)/polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibrous oil sorbent was fabricated by electrospinning to alter the structure of polymeric sorbent so that it can selectively remove oil from water. In particular, we focused on the reusability of the fabricated oil sorbents. First, the optimal PS/PAN polymeric sorbent (6:4 weight ratio) with the highest durability and sustainability was obtained. CNT was then added to it (PS/PAN-CNT) to improve the reusability, hydrophobicity, and oleophilicity, which are attributed to the increase in porosity and surface area of the sorbent. The characteristics of the PS/PAN-CNT sorbents were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, contact angle measurements, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The highest oil sorption capacities for motor and diesel oil were achieved by the 6:4–0.25 wt% PS/PAN-CNT sorbent (248 and 80 g/g, respectively). This sorbent was able to be used for up to seven sorption/desorption cycles for diesel oil, with >70% recovery efficiency. The CNT-embedded PS/PAN nanofibrous mat, as an efficient and sustainable oil sorbent, will significantly contribute to tackling oil spills in the ocean owing to its increased oil sorption capacity, high durability, and reusability.

Environmental Impacts and Challenges Associated with Oil Spills on Shorelines

Oil spills are of great concern because they impose a threat to the marine ecosystem, including shorelines. As oil spilled at sea is transported to the shoreline, and after its arrival, its behavior and physicochemical characteristics change because of natural weathering phenomena. Additionally, the fate of the oil depends on shoreline type, tidal energy, and environmental conditions. This paper critically overviews the vulnerability of shorelines to oil spill impact and the implication of seasonal variations with the natural attenuation of oil. A comprehensive review of various monitoring techniques, including GIS tools and remote sensing, is discussed for tracking, and mapping oil spills. A comparison of various remote sensors shows that laser fluorosensors can detect oil on various types of substrates, including snow and ice. Moreover, current methods to prevent oil from reaching the shoreline, including physical booms, sorbents, and dispersants, are examined. The advantages and limitations of various physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods and their application suitability for different shore types are discussed. The paper highlights some of the challenges faced while managing oil spills, including viewpoints on the lack of monitoring data, the need for integrated decision-making systems, and the development of rapid response strategies to optimize the protection of shorelines from oil spills.

Facile fabrication of porous waste-derived carbon-polyethylene terephthalate composite sorbent for separation of free and emulsified oil from water

Containment of oil spills in aquatic bodies and treatment of oily wastewater are necessary to mitigate oil pollution. Synthetic oil sorbents are commonly used for managing oil spills and while they are effective, their usage introduces a considerable amount of non-biodegradable plastic into the environment. In an effort to develop an inexpensive sorbent by reutilizing solid wastes for a sustainable future, this study investigates the fabrication of a composite oil sorbent from used polyethylene terephthalate bottles and waste carbonaceous residue from the gasification of oil refinery bottoms via an energy efficient phase inversion method. The composite sorbent demonstrated oil sorption capacity of ∼ 8 g/g, which is comparable to some commercially available adsorbents, and excellent retention capacity for mineral, paraffin and crude oils of different viscosities. Furthermore, the composite is able to remove oil from mineral or paraffin oil-in-water emulsions by sorption, with an efficacy of > 99.7 %, indicating its promising application in the treatment of industrial oily wastewater. Cost analysis shows that this waste-derived composite can be produced commercially at a competitive price.

Effects of Na2SO4 and Na3PO4 on the surface and thermodynamic properties of an anionic surfactant: bis-(2- ethyl hexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) in aqueous solutions

From tensiometric measurements, critical micelle concentration (CMC), maximum surface excess concentration, minimum area per molecule at the air-liquid interface and thermodynamic parameters of micellization have been determined for an anionic surfactant: bis-(2-ethylhexyl) sodium sulfosuccinate (AOT) in aqueous medium. Effects on the above physico-chemical properties due to added electrolytes: Na2SO4 and Na3PO4 over a wide range of the surfactant concentrations and at 288.15, 293.15 and 298.15 K have been described in the light of intermolecular interactions. The CMC of AOT is lowered and the micellar stability is improved upon mixing the above electrolytes in aqueous surfactant solution and the same become more pronounced when divalent SO42- are replaced by trivalent PO43-. These observations may be beneficial for improving efficiency of AOT as a detergent, managing oil spill problem, in froth-flotation process for concentrating ores and for efficient recovery of petroleum in the tertiary process.

Fate of hopane biomarkers during in-situ burning of crude oil — A laboratory-scale study

In-situ burning (ISB) is a remediation strategy that is used for managing oil spills. ISB generates heavy residues that can submerge and negatively impact benthic environments. To track the fate of toxic contaminants in ISB residues, a conservative hopane biomarker, such as C30-αβ hopane, is often used. Furthermore, diagnostic ratios of various hopanes are used for source oil identification. Use of these biomarkers assume that during ISB the quantity of C30-αβ hopane will be conserved, and the diagnostic ratios of various hopanes will be stable. The objective of this study is to test the validity of these two assumptions. We conducted laboratory-scale ISB experiments using a model oil prepared from commercial C30-αβ hopane standard, and a reference crude oil. Laboratory data collected under controlled burning conditions show that C30-αβ hopane will not be conserved; however, the diagnostic ratios of hopanes will still remain fairly stable.

Environmental effects of Arctic oil spills and spill response technologies, introduction to a 5 year joint industry effort

With the level of industrial activities increasing in Arctic areas it is crucial to assure that dedicated oil spill response capabilities and strategies are available for deployment in this region. To further build on existing research and improve technologies and methodologies for Arctic oil spill response, nine oil and gas companies established the Arctic Response Technology Joint Industry Program (ART-JIP) in 2012 with the goal to advance Arctic oil spill response strategies and equipment as well as to increase understanding of potential impacts of oil on the Arctic marine environment. As part of the environmental effects research program of the ART-JIP a comprehensive review of the environmental impacts arising from both the oil spill itself and the countermeasures activities was executed. A number of research activities were identified to improve the knowledge base for using a Net Environmental Benefit Analysis (NEBA) in the Arctic. As a follow-up of the review modelling-, laboratory- and field studies were conducted. The data collected from the review and the additional studies have been organized in an information tool to support tool Arctic NEBA. Results from the studies have improved the understanding of what happens to oil once frozen into ice, how the microbe communities are reacting to oil in ice and what the exposure potential and effects are on the marine organisms that live in association with the ice. This output from the ART-JIP will help managing oil spill impacts and will assist in the definition of a response strategy that minimizes effects to the environment.

Formation, Fate, and Impacts of Microscopic and Macroscopic Oil‐Sediment Residues in Nearshore Marine Environments: A Critical Review

AbstractCrude oil that is spilled in marine environments often interacts with suspended sediments to form residues that can impact the recovery of the affected nearshore ecosystems. When spilled oil and sediment interact, they can form either small microscopic aggregates, commonly referred to as oil‐particle aggregates, or large macroscopic agglomerates, referred to as sediment‐oil agglomerates or sediment‐oil mats. Although these different sized oil‐sediment residues have similar compositions, they are formed under different conditions and have different fates in nearshore environments; the goal of this review is to synthesize our current understanding of these two types of residues. We believe that researchers who focus solely on studying either microscopic aggregates or macroscopic agglomerates could benefit from understanding the research findings available in the other field. In this study, we compare and contrast various processes that control the formation, fate, and impacts of these two types of residues in nearshore environments and point out some of the knowledge gaps in this field. Additionally, these residues have been referred to by many names in the past, leading to confusion and misconceptions at times. In this effort, we recommend a uniform nomenclature to distinguish them based on their physical size. Our overall aim is to bridge the gap between microscopic and macroscopic oil‐sediment residue literature to foster a robust exchange of ideas, which we believe can lead to the development of efficient strategies for managing oil spills that affect nearshore environments.

Assessing impacts of simulated oil spills on the Northeast Arctic cod fishery

We simulate oil spills of 1500 and 4500m3/day lasting 14, 45, and 90days in the spawning grounds of the commercial fish species, Northeast Arctic cod. Modeling the life history of individual fish eggs and larvae, we predict deviations from the historical pattern of recruitment to the adult population due to toxic oil exposures. Reductions in survival for pelagic stages of cod were 0–10%, up to a maximum of 43%. These reductions resulted in a decrease in adult cod biomass of <3% for most scenarios, up to a maximum of 12%. In all simulations, the adult population remained at full reproductive potential with a sufficient number of juveniles surviving to replenish the population. The diverse age distribution helps protect the adult cod population from reductions in a single year's recruitment after a major oil spill. These results provide insights to assist in managing oil spill impacts on fisheries.

Draft Genome Sequence of Hydrocarbon-Degrading Pseudomonas putida Strain KG-4, Isolated from Soil Samples Collected from Krishna-Godavari Basin in India.

We report here the 5.58-Mb draft genome of Pseudomonas putida strain KG-4 obtained from the oil fields of the Krishna-Godavari basin, Andhra Pradesh, India. The genome sequence is expected to facilitate identification and understanding of genes associated with hydrocarbon metabolism, which can help in developing strategies for managing oil spills and bioremediation.

Contingency plan improvement for managing oil spills in the coastal waters of Thailand

The estimated risks of being impacted by oil spills in the coastal waters were used to improve the oil spill contingency plan of Thailand. Functional roles of local agencies are integrated into the plan. Intensive measures are suggested for the coastal provinces located in high-very high risk zones, whereas light and moderate measures are suggested for the coastal provinces located in low and moderate risk zones, respectively. The estimated percentage risks due to simulated oil slicks hitting the coast and/or important resources (PRoilspill) were used to guide the year-round water activities that should be carefully handled at a certain radius with a low-moderate PRoilspill, whereas they should be avoided at a certain radius with a high-very high PRoilspill. Important measures before, during, and post periods of an oil spill incident are suggested to prevent and monitor oil spill incidents and mitigate their impacts on the environment.

Environmental pollution and remediation: challenges and management of oil Spillage in the Nigerian coastal areas

This paper examines the environmental pollution and remediation of oil spillage in the Nigerian Coastal areas. Oil spillage is one of the greatest environmental problem Nigeria is currently battling with especially in the Niger Delta zone. Oil communities have been at the receiving end of this environmental problem. The problems has generated a lot of concern within of the three tiers of government especially in oil producing states. The coastal area of the Niger Delta is the home to oil explorations and exploitations in Nigeria. Oil spill incidents are common along the Nigeria. The main sources of oil spill on the Niger Delta are: vandalisation of the oil pipelines by the local inhabitants; ageing of the pipelines; oil blow outs from the flow stations; cleaning of oil tankers on the high sea and disposal of used oil into the drains by the road side mechanics. By far the most serious source of oil spill is through the vandalisation of pipelines either as a result of civil disaffection with the political process or as a criminal activity.The paper also delves into the evil of oil spillage facing the Nigeria environment. The Causes, Consequences, Geographic Information System for Managing Oil Spill Incidents and Control Mechanisms were articulated to ameliorate this problem and assist oil communities.

OIL SPILL PROBLEMS AND MANAGEMENT IN THE NIGER DELTA

ABSTRACT The coastal area of the Niger Delta is the home to oil explorations and exploitations in Nigeria. Oil spill incidents are common along the Nigeria. The main sources of oil spill on the Niger Delta are: vandalisation of the oil pipelines by the local inhabitants; ageing of the pipelines; oil blow outs from the flow stations; cleaning of oil tankers on the high sea and disposal of used oil into the drains by the road side mechanics. By far the most serious source of oil spill is through the vandalisation of pipelines either as a result of civil disaffection with the political process or as a criminal activity. To reduce the rate of oil incidents along the Nigerian Coast particularly as a result of vandalisation, the Federal Government through an act of the National Assembly created the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Part of the responsibilities of the commission is to develop a master plan for the development of the Niger Delta, provide infrastructure and create an enabling environment for industrialisation and employment. There are also several other laws dealing with issues related to oil pollution in the environment. Also, standards for the development of the environmental sensitivity index maps for the coast of Nigeria have been developed by the Environmental Systems Research institute (ESRI). These standards are to be used by all the oil companies to prepare ESI maps for their areas of operations in Nigeria. Furthermore, apart from the mechanical and chemical oil spill cleaning methods that have been used in managing oil spill problems, oil spill models have on several occasions being used to manage oil spills on the Nigerian Coast. A number of Federal and state agencies deal with the problems of oil spill in Nigeria. The agencies include: the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Federal Ministry of Environment, the State Ministries of Environment and the National Maritime Authority. There is also the “Clean Nigeria Associates” which is an umbrella through which the Oil companies tackle major oil spills. There is a need to create serious awareness among the populace on the implications of oil spill incidents on the environment. Governments must assist the rural communities in claiming their rights on oil spills and ensure that digital ESI maps are readily available for managing oil spill maps. Government should have strict rules for local oil tankers that would ply our coastal and inland waters as a result of the new cabotage law that is just being passed into law in the country.

TRAINING, TESTING, DEMONSTRATING COMPETENCY AND AUDITING A DRILL OR SPILL RESPONSE: DRILLTRAC

ABSTRACT The State of Washington developed DRILLTRAC, a training and competency program for managing oil spills and drills. DRILLTRAC represents an organizational commitment to stand-up a well qualified team at spills of all levels in order to fulfill a fundamental trust responsibility to protect public health, safety and the environment. The agency intends to hold itself to the same high standards that are expected from the regulated community. In addition, through the development of a well qualified team, the agency will be able to assist those unregulated spillers with providing an initial spill management team. DRILLTRAC consists of training and testing, required performance demonstrations at drills and spills, seeded staff to coach performance, response auditing and finally training and outreach to the community. The Program centers around a manual that is based on the 2000 Field Operations Guide (FOG), but is greatly enhanced with coaching tips, information flow diagrams and guidance on what actions need to be taken between the meetings. The manual is available on-line. During the first month it became available, the manual was downloaded over a thousand times. Some of the key training points under DRILLTRAC are:How do you ensure adequate staffing?How do you resolve conflict within unified command?How are critical decisions made by unified command documented?How does a trustee organization ensure that the interests of the state are consistently and adequately protected through the incident command system?How do you develop and measure an aggressive response?How do you ensure that the process being followed leads to the development of an aggressive, objective driven Incident Action Plan?How do you ensure consistent drill evaluation and drill design? This paper will discuss the development of the program, the goals and some of the points of organizational resistance in the implementation. DRILLTRAC builds confidence, accountability and mutual trust in spill management. It is mission driven for the state of Washington.

Decision support system for managing oil spill events.

The Mediterranean environment is exposed to various hazards, including oil spills, forest fires, and floods, making the development of a decision support system (DSS) for emergency management an objective of utmost importance. The present work presents a complete DSS for managing marine pollution events caused by oil spills. The system provides all the necessary tools for early detection of oil-spills from satellite images, monitoring of their evolution, estimation of the accident consequences and provision of support to responsible Public Authorities during clean-up operations. The heart of the system is an image processing-geographic information system and other assistant individual software tools that perform oil spill evolution simulation and all other necessary numerical calculations as well as cartographic and reporting tasks related to a specific management of the oil spill event. The cartographic information is derived from the extant general maps representing detailed information concerning several regional environmental and land-cover characteristics as well as financial activities of the application area. Early notification of the authorities with up-to-date accurate information on the position and evolution of the oil spill, combined with the detailed coastal maps, is of paramount importance for emergency assessment and effective clean-up operations that would prevent environmental hazard. An application was developed for the Region of Crete, an area particularly vulnerable to oil spills due to its location, ecological characteristics, and local economic activities.

OIL SPILL TRAINING: THE NEED CONTINUES

ABSTRACT To effectively handle oil spill incidents, response personnel must possess certain knowledge relevant to spill control activities. These personnel must demonstrate adequate manipulative and problem-solving abilities—practical skills—that can be used in managing oil spills. As a rule, this knowledge and these skills are obtained by one of two means. Response personnel attend and participate in training activities, or they learn from experience. Learning strictly by experience can provide valuable lessons, but such a method proves costly, inefficient, and incomplete in the long term. On the other hand, classroom and field programs in spill control are readily available and, to some extent, are successful in providing general knowledge to a broad audience. Time, scheduling, and especially financial constraints must be considered in planning training activities. Careful planning of an overall training can result in a series of short programs that, if properly designed and sequenced, can provide stronger results than an intensive program. Many companies are modifying budgets as a result of the current economic climate, however the need for training continues. In the long term, benefits gained by responding promptly and effectively to environmental incidents can far outweigh the insignificant training costs involved. With recent industrywide reductions in experienced manpower it is even more important that personnel with limited experience be well trained to handle an emergency when it arises. The training programs described in this paper are designed with this current situation in mind. Special emphasis is placed here on simulation exercises. Such exercises familiarize participants with their roles, relations, responsibilities, interfaces, and communications procedures during a spill cleanup operation, and also address crisis management, all in a classroom environment. Examples of actual simulations conducted at several Sohio facilities with state-of-the-art computer enhancement will be presented, and their benefits discussed.