Oil spills, remediation

Chun, C.L. and Park, J.W. (2001) Oil spill remediation using magnetic separation. 

Because biosurfactants are natural, biodegradable products, they are an attractive alternative to synthetic surfactants, particularly for in situ remediation. Biosurfactants are also potentially useful agents for oil spill remediation, where they can be used to disperse pollutants that remain in the water or have washed up on land. 

T. M. Ngeh, L. N. Oil Spill Remediation Using Magnetic Particles An Experiment in Environmental Technology, J. Chem. Educ. 1997, 74, 1446-1448. 

Caimody, O., et al. (2007). Adsorption of hydrocarbons on organo-clays Implicationsfor oil spill remediation. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 305(1), 17-24. 

Sakthivel T, Reid DL, Goldstein I, Hench L, Seal S (2013) Hydrophobic high surface area zeolites derived from fly ash for oil spill remediation. Environ Sd Technol 47(ll) 5843-5850. doi 10.1021/es3048174... 

A sub-group of Environmental Industiy Associations that represents for-profit companies in North America providing solid, hazardous and medical waste collection, recycling and disposal sendees, remedial and oil spill clean-ups, and companies providing professional and consulting sendees to the industiy. 

A basis for determining remedial action in the event of oil spill... 

The most spectacular incidents concerning oil spills occur in coastal regions. Therefore most of this chapter is devoted to this topic. However, a section is devoted to subsurface and soil remediation jobs. 

Vanloocke, R., DeBorger, R., Voets, J. P, and Verstraete, W., 1975, Soil and Groundwater Contamination by Oil Spills Problems and Remedies International Journal of Environmental Studies, No. 8, pp. 99-111. 

Christensen LB, Larsen TH. 1993. Method for determining the age of diesel oil spills in the soil. Ground Water Monitor Remediation 13(4) 142. 

Many studies have been performed on soils and sediments [7-9]. Numerous investigations have involved monitoring metal concentrations in soils and sediments as well as reclaimed marshes over a period of several decades. While this chapter focuses on elemental determination, several studies have simultaneously determined organics. These results are presented in these studies for completeness in order to understand the suspected pollution or contamination of the fish and seafood. Uptake of elements can be affected by organics in the lakes, bayous, and reclaimed marshes. Recently, work has focused on determining metal concentrations (from crude oil and products) in the soils, sediments, and selected plants after oil spills that have been remediated by controlled burning [7]. This information is frequently used to extrapolate the pollution extent in wildlife, fish, and seafood from the area. 

Petroleum hydrocarbon sources to North American and worldwide waters were summarized in a report by NRC (2002). In many cases of large petroleum spills, the specihc source of petroleum spill is evident, and no geochemical fingerprinting is required to establish the source. Nevertheless, the inventory of petroleum compounds and biomarkers that are eventually sequestered in bottom sediments need not reflect sole derivation from a single source, even in cases of massive oil spills in the area (e.g., Kvenvolden et al., 1995 Wang et al., 1999). Where a mass balance of petroleum sources is required to properly design remediation or identify a point source, molecular methods for distinguishing sources of hydrocarbons have come to the fore. 

Schlien HH. 1992. Physical and chemical characteristics of mineral oils. CONCAWE/DGMK Scientific Seminar Remediation of oil spills, May 18-21, 1992. 

The physical and chemical removal of oil spills can often be successful, but mostly expensive. We can mention soil incineration, soil vapor extraction and thermal desorption methods, all of which are very expensive and destructive (Hyman, 1999). Besides that the primary goal of remediation is the preservation of public health and safety, it is necessary to carry out the remediation in a cost-effective manner to keep the owner/operator of the site in business and out of bankruptcy court. In this case, biodegradation by natural population of microorganisms or bioremediation, is often considered as the primary mechanism because of its low cost and effectiveness in ambient conditions. The scientific basis is biochemical conversion of organic chemicals by bacteria and fungus in natural processes. 

---