Oil Spill Cleanup

Adebajo MO, Frost RL, Kloprogge JT, Carmody O, Kokot S (2003) Porous materials for oil spill cleanup A review of synthesis and absorbing properties. J Porous Mat 10 159-170... 

On Scene Commander (OSC) The overall coordinator of an oil spill response team, usually a representative of an oil company, a government official, or an independent oil spill cleanup contractor responsible for on-site strategical decisions and actions throughout each phase of a cleanup operation and who maintains close liaison with the appropriate government agencies to obtain support and provide progress reports on each phase of the emergency response. 

Fingas, M.F. Duval, W.S. Stevenson, G.B. The Basics of Oil Spill Cleanup, Environment Canada Hull, 1979. 

Basics of oil spill cleanup / written by Merv Fingas edited by Jennifer Charles ... 

Chapter 2 deals with planning the response to an oil spill and the functions of oil spill response organizations in industry and government. Topics covered include contingency plans, training, the structure of response organizations, the duties of the on-scene commander and response team, oil spill cooperatives, and the role of other organizations and contractors in oil spill cleanup. 

All petroleum shipping agencies are covered by some form of insurance that allows spill operations to be conducted under cost recovery. Insurance firms, sometimes also called indemnity clubs, have experts who monitor spill control operations to ensure that cleanup is conducted cost-effectively. International agreements are in place to ensure that tanker owners are covered by insurance and that certain minimum standards for oil spill cleanup are maintained. 

As with other physical properties, viscosity is affected by temperature, with a lower temperature giving a higher viscosity. For most oils, the viscosity varies as the logarithm of the temperature, which is a very significant variation. Oils that flow readily at high temperatures can become a slow-moving, viscous mass at low temperatures. In terms of oil spill cleanup, viscosity can affect the oil s behaviour. Viscous oils do not spread rapidly, do not penetrate soil as readily, and affect the ability of pumps and skimmers to handle the oil. 

Recovery is the next step after containment in an oil spill cleanup operation. It is often the major step in removing oil from the environment. As discussed in the previous chapter, an important objective of containment is to concentrate oil into thick layers to facilitate recovery. In fact, the containment and recovery phases of an oil spill cleanup operation are often carried out at the same time. As soon as booms are deployed at the site of a spill, equipment and personnel are mobilized to take advantage of the increased oil thickness, favourable weather, and less weathered oil. After oil spreads or becomes highly weathered, recovery becomes less viable and is sometimes impossible. 

Sorbents are materials that recover oil through either absorption or adsorption. They play an important role in oil spill cleanup and are used in the following ways to clean up the final traces of oil spills on water or land as a backup to other containment means, such as sorbent booms as a primary recovery means for very small spills and as a passive means of cleanup. An example of such passive cleanup is when sorbent booms are anchored off lightly oiled shorelines to absorb any remaining oil released from the shore and prevent further contamination or reoiling of the shoreline. 

Disposing of the recovered oil and oiled debris is one of the most difficult aspects of an oil spill cleanup operation. Any form of disposal is subject to a complex system... 

Current thinking on burning oil as an oil spill cleanup technique is that the airborne emissions are not a serious health or environmental concern, especially at distances greater than a few kilometres from the fire. Studies have shown that emissions are low compared to other sources and generally result in concentrations of air contaminants that are below health concern levels 500 m downwind from the fire. 

The type of shoreline is crucial in determining the fate and effects of an oil spill as well as the cleanup methods to be used. In fact, the shoreline s basic structure and the size of material present are the most important factors in terms of oil spill cleanup. The structural profiles of different types of shoreline are shown in Figure 29. 

Absorption — A process whereby one substance penetrates the interior of another substance. In the case of oil spill cleanup, this process takes place in the form of uptake of oil by capillaries within certain sorbent materials. (See also Capillary action.)... 

Boiling point — The temperature at which a liquid begins to boil. Specifically, it is the temperature at which the vapour pressure of a liquid is equal to the atmospheric or external pressure. The boiling point of crude oils and petroleum products may vary from 30 to 550°C but is of little practical significance in terms of oil spill cleanup. 

In situ burning — An oil spill cleanup technique or countermeasure that involves controlled burning of oil directly where it is spilled. It does not include burning oil or oiled debris in an incinerator. 

Manual recovery — The recovery of oil from contaminated areas by cleanup crews with the use of buckets, shovels, and similar equipment. Manual recovery is extremely labour-intensive but plays a role in many oil spill cleanup programs. 

Natural organic sorbents — Natural materials such as peat moss, straw, and sawdust that can be used to recover spilled oil. Natural sorbents generally absorb three to six times their weight in oil by virtue of the criss-cross arrangement of fibres within the material. All natural sorbents absorb water as well as oil, however, and may sink when saturated with water. Indiscriminate used of natural sorbents can add to the problems of oil spill cleanup. Synthetic sorbents are usually favoured due to their greater capacity for oil and relative ease of recovery. (See also Mineral-based sorbents, Synthetic organic sorbents.)... 

Recovery — In oil spill cleanup, this term applies to the entire process of physical removal of spilled oil from land, water, or shoreline environments, or any operation contributing to this process. General methods of recovering oil from water are the use of mechanical skimmers, sorbents, and manually by the cleanup crew. The main method of recovery of oil spilled on land or shorelines is by excavating contaminated materials. 

Shoreline type — This is determined by the average slope or steepness and predominant substrate composition of the intertidal zone of a shoreline area. In any given region, shoreline type may be used to assess the type and abundance of intertidal flora and fauna, protection priorities, and the most suitable oil spill cleanup... 

Sinking agent — A material that is spread over the surface of an oil slick to adsorb oil and cause it to sink. Common sinking agents include treated sand, fly ash, and special types of clay. These materials are rarely used, however, because they provide a purely cosmetic approach to oil spill cleanup and may cause considerable damage to bottom-dwelling organisms. 

Solubility — The amount of a substance (solute) that will dissolve in a given amount of another substance (solvent). In terms of oil spill cleanup, it is most often the measure of how much oil will dissolve in the water column on a molecular basis. This is important in that the soluble fractions of the oil are sometimes toxic to aquatic life, especially at high concentrations. The solubility of oil in water is extremely low, generally less than 100 parts per million (ppm). (See also Dissolution.)... 

Chem. Descrip. Sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate CAS 577-11-7 EINECS/ELINCS 209406-4 Uses Wetting agent, emulsifier, demulsifier for textile wet processing, specialty cleaners dewatering agent for flotation cones., oil spill cleanup blends vise, depressant in emulsion PVC food pkg. adhesives, paper emulsifier in mfg. of food-contact articles in resinous/polymeric food-contact coatings... 

Reynolds, J G, Coronado, P R, Hrubesh, L W (2001) Hydrophobic aerogels for oil-spill cleanup-intrinsic absorbing properties. Energy Sources 23 831-834. 

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