[FAQ] 5 Methods To Cleanup Oil Spills Out At Sea

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Shipping of oil from the sea can never be put to an end rather we must look for safer expeditions. We must be ready for any emergency related to an oil spill and oil clean up from the sea.

As water is denser than oil, the latter floats when discharged in a water body. It forms a skimming layer over the water surface and therefore it is comparatively easier to decant oil from the sea than other chemical pollutants.

Methods to cleanup oil spills out at sea are:

  1. Oil booms– Oil Booms are the most common and popular equipment used in oil clean-up due to their simpler design and easier execution. These are also called “Containment Booms” which encloses the oil to a smaller area and not let it spread further.

They have three parts namely: Freeboard; Skirt and Cable or Chain.

Freeboard is the portion which is extended beyond the water surface and thwarts splashing oil above the top. The skirt is positioned at a place down the water surface and squeezes the oil under the boom and not let it escape or spread. For stabilization and strengthening of a boom, a cable or chain is provided, until it is completely filled.

  1. Skimmers– Once the oil is bounded by oil booms, it can be extracted or skimmed easily with the help of skimmers or oil scoops. These skimmers are fitted onto boats and remove the floating oil or greasy contaminants.

These are the mechanical equipment which works on the same principle as a vacuum cleaner. It sucks all the oil which is spread over the confined surface of the water in oil booms.

  1. Sorbents– The materials which can adsorb or absorb the liquid are termed as sorbents. It is an easy process of oil cleanup. Most common sort of sorbents we all are familiar with are peat moss, vermiculite (straw) and hay.

There is also a difficulty in working with sorbents that are sorbents become denser than water after absorbing oil and may possibly sink to the bottom of the sea

  1. Burning– In this method, the floating oil is set to fire by igniting it safely. It is the most proficient method of oil clean up as it can efficiently remove 98% of total spilt oil. This method is not eco-friendly as it releases toxic gases from the burning of oils to the environment.
  1. Dispersants– When oil cannot be confined with booms then we are left with the last option of oil disintegration. Dispersals are the chemicals which are spread over spilt oil to initiate disintegration of oil.

After disintegration, the surface area of oil molecules increases and it becomes easier for them to form a bond with water. This will take the bonded molecules deeper in water and make them available for microbes which degrade them later on.

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Source: Marine insight

1 COMMENT

  1. The problem of environmental pollution has recently been relevant throughout the world. The volume of discharged polluted wastewater is quite high. There are special water treatment sorbents that are used to remove impurities, you can find adsorbent manufacturers here

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