Oil Spill Recovery Research Articles

Compressible Carbon Sponges from Delignified Wood for Fast Cleanup and Enhanced Recovery of Crude Oil Spills by Joule Heat and Photothermal Effect

AbstractFast and efficient cleanup of crude oil spills is still a global challenge because most of the crude oils are highly viscous and lowly fluid. Herein, a kind of polydimethylsiloxane‐decorated wood carbon sponges (PDMS@WCS) with desirable compressibility and hydrophobicity for the fast adsorption and enhanced recovery of crude oil via the promotion of Joule‐heating and photothermal effect is reported. Moreover, the PDMS@WCS can be compressed and released at a constant strain of 50% for over times without structural damage due to the protection of PDMS coating. Thus, the adsorbed crude oil can be facilely excluded from PDMS@WCS under external pressure to show enhanced recovery.

Photothermal and Joule heating-assisted thermal management sponge for efficient cleanup of highly viscous crude oil

Fast and efficient cleanup of high-viscosity oil spills on the sea is still a global challenge today. Traditional recycling methods are either energy demanding or inefficient. Hydrophobic/oleophilic sorbents are promising candidates to handle oil spills, but they have limited ability to recover high viscosity oil. In this work, we report a superhydrophobic/oleophilic carbon nanotubes (CNT) and polypyrrole (PPy) coated melamine sponge (m-CNT/PPy@MS). The CNT/PPy coating enables the sponge to convert light and electricity to heat, ensuring that the absorbent can adapt to various working environments. The rapid heat generation on the sponge surface can significantly reduce the viscosity of crude oil and accelerate the absorption rate, thereby achieving the purpose of rapid recovery of oil spills. Under one sun illumination (1.0 kW/m2) and an applied voltage (8 V), the surface temperature of the m-CNT/PPy@MS can reach 118.6 °C. The complete penetration time of oil droplets is 93.5% less than that of an unheated sponge. In addition, under half sun irradiation intensity and 11 V, the porous sponge absorbed 6.92kg/m2 of crude oil in the first minute, which is about 31 times as much as that of an unheated sponge. Finally, we demonstrate a continuous absorption system, consisting of a self-heating m-CNT/PPy@MS and peristaltic pump, that can continuously recover oil spills on the sea surface. In view of its unique design, lower cost and fast oil absorption speed, this work provides a new option to tackle large-scale oil spill disasters on the sea surface.

How Far Are We in Combating Marine Oil Spills by Using Phase-Selective Organogelators?

Marine oil spills is one of the frequent natural disasters that adversely affect the economy and ecosystem. A variety of methods have been developed to combat marine oil spills. However, none of these methods is ideal and universal for tackling different kinds of oil spills. In addition, most of these methods do not offer the possibility for recovering the spilt oil. There is great interest in developing novel and better methods for combating marine oil spills that allow recovery of the spilt oil. The use of low molecular weight organogelators that can selectively congeal oil from oil-water mixtures have been proposed to be useful for oil spill recovery. From this initial proposal, the area has progressed gradually towards their practical implementation. The advancements and novel concepts in this area are reviewed.

Emulsified oil separation by bioadsorption: a sustainable proposal

ABSTRACT Oil emulsions are very stable, so both the treatment and the recovery of marine oil spills require expensive technologies, sometimes inefficient. Thus, studies of alternative methods for the treatment of oily effluents and phytoremediation are very important for sustainable development. The objective of this study was to use a chemically modified biomass of Salvinia sp. (SOH), for the removal of oil from oil-in-water emulsions. Initially, a chemical modification was carried out to remove interferences and to increase the adsorption capacity of the biomass. Physicochemical characterization tests were performed to understand the structure of the adsorbent produced as well as to verify changes going on the surface of the material. Adsorption tests were done, such as concentration variation, time, temperature and pH. The maximum adsorption capacity (q max) of SOH was obtained in 15 min and was 574.86 mg g−1 in oil-in-salt water emulsion and 525.92 mg g−1, for oil-in-water emulsion. The isotherm model that best fitted was Freundlich model and for the kinetic model, the best fit was obtained with the intraparticle diffusion model. Thermodynamic studies indicate that SOH has physisorption, and the process is spontaneous and reversible.

Design and Experimental Research of the Inbuilt Oil Collection System for the Oil Spill Recovery Ship

The inbuilt oil collection system of the oil spill recovery ship is based on the principle of downward belt skimmer. The system adopts a composite structure, which is integrated with the downward belt skimmer and the upward belt device. The skimmer is used for oil recovery and the upward conveyor belt device is used for rubbish disposal. In this paper, experiments in the test hull and test pool were carried out to investigate the performance of the inbuilt oil collection system such as the recovery rate, the recovery efficiency and the waste adaptability. The test results show that the oil spill recovery system has the advantages of compact structure, high recovery rate and efficiency, high adaptability of garbage, high safety of operation and so on.

Carbon Nanotubes-Filled Siloxane Composite Foams for Oil Recovery Application: Compression Properties

This paper studies the correlation between oil recovery usability and mechanical behavior under compression loads of an innovative oil recovery material. The examined composites are silicone foams filled with carbon nanotubes (CNT). Here, the reutilization of oil recovery processes of the newly developed composite foams is evaluated. In this regard, static and cyclic compressive tests are carried out. Samples filled with pristine and functionalized CNT are tested to evaluate the influence of the filler’s characteristics on the composite foam’s mechanical behavior. The results show that the presence of CNT (CNT-0) increases the elastic modulus (0.030 MPa) and collapse stress (0.010 MPa) of the siloxane matrix. On the contrary, as the CNT functionalization degree increases, a worsening of the composite’s mechanical performance is observed. CNT-0 foam evidences, also, the optimal mechanical stability to cyclic compressive loads, maintaining high stress values until 30 cycles. Furthermore, a correlation between the absorption capacity, elastic modulus, and cyclability is reported, highlighting a simplified approach to tailor the high absorption durability performance of filled CNT silicone foams. The promising results confirm the possible reuse of these new composite foams as absorbent materials for oil spill recovery applications.

A Visual Analytics System for Oil Spill Response and Recovery

Extensive research has been done on oil spill simulation techniques, spatial optimization models, and oil spill cleanup strategies. This article presents a visual analytics system that integrates the independent facets of spill modeling techniques and spatial optimization to enable inspection, exploration, and decision making for offshore oil spill response.

Critical aspects for collision induced oil spill response and recovery system in ice conditions: A model-based analysis

The recovery effectiveness for oil spills in ice conditions depends on a complex system and has not been studied in depth, especially not from a system risk control perspective. This paper aims to identify the critical aspects in the oil spill system to enable effective oil spill recovery. First, a method is developed to identify critical elements in a Bayesian Network model, based on an uncertainty-based risk perspective. The method accounts for sensitivity and the strength of evidence, which are assessed for the different Bayesian Network model features. Then, a Bayesian Network model for the mechanical oil spill recovery system is developed for the Finnish oil spill response fleet, contextualized for representative collision accident scenarios. This model combines information about representative sea ice conditions, ship-ship collisions and their associated oil outflow, the oil dispersion and spreading in the ice conditions, and the oil spill response and recovery of the fleet. Finally, the critical factors are identified by applying the proposed method to the developed oil spill response system model. The identified most critical system factors relates collision aspect: Forcing Representative Scenario, Representative Accident Location, Impact Speed, Impact Location, Impact Angle and response aspect: Response Vessel Operability.

Riverine deposition pattern of oil–particle aggregates considering the coagulation effect

To understand the heterogeneous behavior of oil–particle aggregates (OPAs) in the riverine environment as well as the uncertainties caused by the coupling effects between their stochastic formation and transportation processes, this study employed the coagulation conceptual formula and random-walk particle tracking model. Through careful inspection using the classic Rouse–Vanoni diagram and existing laboratory observations, a vertical diffusivity scheme and the packing coefficient for an oil–sediment interaction model were determined. The density variations and deposition patterns of hypothetically fully developed OPAs as well as the impact of oil–sediment interactions on the longitudinal distribution of deposited OPAs were then investigated. The results indicate that the formation process of OPAs has a significant effect on their longitudinal deposition. The range of potentially trapped OPAs varied from several to hundreds of times the range of cases that exclude oil–sediment interactions. The deposition diagram proposed in this study visualizes the relationship between the configuration and deposition pattern of OPAs and can assist in determining the most unfavorable scenarios for oil-spill countermeasures. Further refinement and calibration of the model are necessary in the future to provide guidelines for oil spill responses and recovery in riverine environments.

Sustainable Reuse of Char Waste for Oil Spill Recovery Foams

The aim of this work is the employment of char waste in the synthesis of silicon foams for oil spill remediation and the comparison analysis with carbon nanotubes-filled foams. The foams are obtained by foaming a slurry constituted by a silicone matrix with CNT or char filler (7.7 wt%) in presence of a Sn-based catalyst. All the investigated materials present a foam morphology with an open/closed cell structure. Each foam was tested in three used common oils (kerosene, crude oil, and pump oil). Also, hydrophilic behavior of the foam was investigated. CNT showed a 700% sorption capacity in light oils (almost 7 goil/gfoam in kerosene); on the contrary, char foam evidenced the higher sorption efficiency in heavier oils; in particular, it reaches 130% in pump oil (1.3 goil/gfoam). All the filled foams are reusable. The reuse increases the foam efficiency and decreases the economic and environmental impacts.

Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Oil Spill Impact and Recovery Pattern of Coastal Vegetation and Wetland Using Multispectral Satellite Landsat 8-OLI Imagery and Machine Learning Models

Oil spills are a global phenomenon with impacts that cut across socio-economic, health, and environmental dimensions of the coastal ecosystem. However, comprehensive assessment of oil spill impacts and selection of appropriate remediation approaches have been restricted due to reliance on laboratory experiments which offer limited area coverage and classification accuracy. Thus, this study utilizes multispectral Landsat 8-OLI remote sensing imagery and machine learning models to assess the impacts of oil spills on coastal vegetation and wetland and monitor the recovery pattern of polluted vegetation and wetland in a coastal city. The spatial extent of polluted areas was also precisely quantified for effective management of the coastal ecosystem. Using Johor, a coastal city in Malaysia as a case study, a total of 49 oil spill (ground truth) locations, 54 non-oil-spill locations and Landsat 8-OLI data were utilized for the study. The ground truth points were divided into 70% training and 30% validation parts for the classification of polluted vegetation and wetland. Sixteen different indices that have been used to monitor vegetation and wetland stress in literature were adopted for impact and recovery analysis. To eliminate similarities in spectral appearance of oil-spill-affected vegetation, wetland and other elements like burnt and dead vegetation, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF) machine learning models were used for the classification of polluted and nonpolluted vegetation and wetlands. Model optimization was performed using a random search method to improve the models’ performance, and accuracy assessments confirmed the effectiveness of the two machine learning models to identify, classify and quantify the area extent of oil pollution on coastal vegetation and wetland. Considering the harmonic mean (F1), overall accuracy (OA), User’s accuracy (UA), and producers’ accuracy (PA), both models have high accuracies. However, the RF outperformed the SVM with F1, OA, PA and UA values of 95.32%, 96.80%, 98.82% and 95.11%, respectively, while the SVM recorded accuracy values of F1 (80.83%), OA (92.87%), PA (95.18%) and UA (93.81%), respectively, highlighting 1205.98 hectares of polluted vegetation and 1205.98 hectares of polluted wetland. Analysis of the vegetation indices revealed that spilled oil had a significant impact on the vegetation and wetland, although steady recovery was observed between 2015-2018. This study concludes that Chlorophyll Vegetation Index, Modified Difference Water Index, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and Green Chlorophyll Index vegetation indices are more sensitive for impact and recovery assessment of both vegetation and wetland, in addition to Modified Normalized Difference Vegetation Index for wetlands. Thus, remote sensing and Machine Learning models are essential tools capable of providing accurate information for coastal oil spill impact assessment and recovery analysis for appropriate remediation initiatives.

Novel Class of Isoxazole-Based Gelators for the Separation of Bisphenol A from Water and Cleanup of Oil Spills.

A series of low-molecular-weight gelators based on an isoxazole backbone were synthesized, which showed robust and phase-selective gelation of a series of oils. Due to their excellent phase-selective and cogelation properties, they were employed for the separation of bisphenol and the recovery of oil spills from water. The driving force and morphology of these gels were characterized by spectroscopic and microscopic studies.

Enhancing harsh environment oil spill recovery using air floatation system

Enhancing harsh environment oil spill recovery using air floatation system

Magnetically Actuated Carbon Soot Nanoparticle-Based Catalytic CARBOts Coated with Ni/Pt Nanofilms for Water Detoxification and Oil-Spill Recovery

Multifunctional chemically powered micromotors were fabricated from the airborne contaminant carbon soot (CS) for environmental remediation following two approaches: first, by physical deposition of catalytic platinum (Pt) and magnetic nickel (Ni) nanoscale films of ∼110 nm and ∼100 nm, respectively, on CS (CARBOts) and second, by the chemical deposition of magneto-catalytic iron nanoparticles (FeNPs) of ∼30 nm or less in size on the CS surface (iCARBOts). The chemical synthesis of magneto-catalytic iron nanoparticle (FeNPs)-based iCARBOts provides an economical alternative to the synthesis of CARBOts by a physical method. The hydrophobic soot contained agglomerates of high-density carbon nanospheres of ∼40 nm or less in size, generated from the incomplete combustion of a hydrocarbon source. The catalytic component (Pt nanofilm or FeNPs) on the nanostructures on the CS surface allowed the rapid catalytic decomposition of aqueous peroxide fuel (H2O2) to generate chemical propulsion. The issuance of O2 microbubbles from the motor surface imparted the required thrust for active bubble propulsion. Integration of a magnetic component (Ni nanofilm or FeNPs) facilitated remote magnetic control for micromotor navigation. These magneto-catalytic micromotors demonstrated the efficient catalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye in the presence of 10% (v/v) H2O2 fuel under ambient conditions. The CARBOts completely decolorized the nonbiodegradable MB dye pollutant within 40 min of treatment. The magnetic sensitivity of motors facilitated the ease of retrieval and reusability after the execution of the remediation tasks, thereby increasing the feasibility of the water detoxification process. In addition, with the help of remote magnetic guidance, micromotors were employed for the removal of freely floating and surfactant-stabilized oil droplets in seawater without any further surface modification. The intrinsic superoleophilic nature of the micromotors owing to the presence of the nanostructured soot surface facilitated an enhanced oil–motor interaction, which led to efficient on-the-fly capturing of oil droplets with remote magnetic guidance.

Smart Sponge for Fast Liquid Absorption and Thermal Responsive Self-Squeezing.

Liquid absorption and recycling play a crucial role in many industrial and environmental applications, such as oil spill cleanup and recovery, hemostasis, astronauts' urine recycling, and so on. Although many liquid absorbing materials have been developed, it still remains a grand challenge to achieve both fast absorption and efficient recycling in a cost-effective and energy-saving manner, especially for viscous liquids such as crude oil. A smart polyurethane-based porous sponge with aligned channel structure is prepared by directional freezing. Compared to common sponges with random porous structure, the as-prepared smart sponge has larger liquid absorption speed due to its lower tortuosity and stronger capillary ("tortuosity effect"). More importantly, the absorbed liquid can be remotely squeezed out due to a thermally responsive shape memory effect when the sponge is heated up. Such smart sponges with well-defined porous structure and thermal responsive self-squeezing capability have great potential in efficient liquid absorption and recycling.

Oil spill collection boom of ship based on negative pressure principle

The oil boom has played an important role in the control of ship oil spills, but the oil spill often spreads fast and the control ability of the oil boom is limited. If the oil spill cannot be absorbed and processed in time, the traditional oil boom is difficult to grow. This work designs a new type of oil spill collection fence based on the principle of negative pressure. The main function of this device is to control the area of oil spill area and recover oil spill in time. The device is a unit system and can be folded, which is convenient for the ship to store the device. The device is mainly composed of a water surface oil spill collector, a new type oil boom, a pressure pump and a ship’s fast oil-water separation device. The oil control part relies on the function design of the traditional oil boom to enable timely control of oil spill on the water surface. The oil spill recovery function is realized by the cooperation of a surface oil spill collector based on the principle of negative pressure and a new type of oil fence. Compared with the traditional ship oil spill treatment, the device studied in this project has the characteristics of timely, fast and recoverable oil spill. It can make a significant contribution to maintaining the balance of the marine ecosystem.

Macroinfauna responses and recovery trajectories after an oil spill differ from those following saltmarsh restoration

Given the severity of injuries to biota in coastal wetlands from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH) and the resulting availability of funding for restoration, information on impacted salt marshes and biotic development of restored marshes may both help inform marsh restoration planning in the near term and for future spills. Accordingly, we performed a meta-analysis to model a restoration trajectory of total macroinfauna density in constructed marshes (studied for ~30 y), and with a previously published restoration trajectory for amphipods, we compared these to recovery curves for total macroinfauna and amphipods from DWH impacted marshes (over 8.5 y). Total macroinfauna and amphipod densities in constructed marshes did not consistently reach equivalency with reference sites before 20 y, yet in heavily oiled marshes recovery occurred by 4.5 y post spill (although it is unlikely that macroinfaunal community composition fully recovered). These differences were probably due to initial conditions (e.g., higher initial levels of belowground organic matter in oiled marshes) that were more conducive to recovery as compared to constructed marshes. Furthermore, we found that amphipod trajectories were distinctly different in constructed and oiled marshes as densities at oiled sites exceeded that of reference sites by as much as 20x during much of the recovery period. Amphipods may have responded to the rapid increase and high biomass of benthic microalgae following the spill. These results indicate that biotic responses after an oil spill may be quantitatively different than those following restoration, even for heavily oiled marshes that were initially denuded of vegetation. Our dual trajectories for oil spill recovery and restoration development for macroinfauna should help guide restoration planning and assessment following the DWH as well as for restoration scaling for future spills.

Thermo-Physical Characterization of Carbon Nanotube Composite Foam for Oil Recovery Applications.

To meet the increasing demands for effective cleanup technologies to deal with the oil spill accidents that significantly affect the ecological and environmental systems, promising composite materials based on carbon nanotubes containing silicone foams were investigated. Pump oil, kerosene, and virgin naphtha had been used to assess, during sorption tests, foams behavior. Test results highlighted the advantage of the hydrophobic and oleophilic behavior of carbon nanotubes, and their high mechanical strength for oil spill recovery application was studied. In order to better relate the property-structure relationship for this class of materials, the role and influence of functionalized nanotubes on thermo-physical and morphological characteristics of the foams had been evaluated. The results showed how the pristine nanotubes fillers, despite functionalized ones, led to optimal composite foam performances with high hydrophobic (62 mg g−1) and oleophilic (6830 mg g−1 in kerosene oil) characteristics. The evidenced high oil selectivity was a relevant key point in order to consider the suitable material for oil spill recovery applications. Eventually, the proposed configuration exhibited the best thermo-physical performances and high reusability, leading to the optimal cost-benefits option.

Self-assembly and multifunctionality of peptide organogels: oil spill recovery, dye absorption and synthesis of conducting biomaterials.

The self-assembly of a series of low molecular weight gelator dipeptides containing para amino benzoic acid has been studied in mechanistic detail. All four dipeptides form phase selective, thermoreversible, rigid gels in a large range of organic solvents and fuels such as petrol, diesel, and kerosene. The mechanism of self-assembly has been dissected in detail using several experimental techniques. Self-assembly is driven mainly by aromatic and hydrophobic interactions. Hydrogen bonding groups, though present, seem to make a trivial contribution towards the self-assembly process. Phase selective gelation abilities in fuels in the presence of acidic, basic and saline conditions, together with the easy recovery of fuels from the organogels, render the peptides potential candidates for addressing oil-spill recovery. Being electron rich systems, these organogelators can absorb cationic dyes with >90% efficiency from wastewater. Finally, conducting biomaterials have been synthesized by the insertion of reduced graphene oxide into the organogels. Such small peptide based gelator molecules, being economically viable and easy to prepare, in addition to being multifunctional, are a hot area of research in the field of materials chemistry.

Diaminomaleonitrile-functionalized gelators in F−/CN− sensing, phase-selective gelation, oil spill recovery and dye removal from water

Diamiomaleonitrile-based gelators 1 and 2 were designed and synthesized. Toluene and 1,2-dichlorobenzene gels of 1 and 2, respectively sense F− and CN− anions. Both 1 and 2 show phase-selective gelation (PSG) with distinguishable feature. Toluene gel of 1 acts as injectable material and is applied in environmental remediation.