Oil Spill Recovery | Clean Up Oil | Oil Spill Resources

The Nuclear Option

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:52:14 +0000

Using a nuclear blast to seal the well is one such suggestion. The idea is not unheard of. The Soviet Union used the extreme heat of nuclear explosions to seal gas wells with melted rock on at least five occasions between 1966 and 1981.

Engineers have suggested that a nuclear explosion could destroy the wellhead, making the leak impossible to seal. Most importantly, detonating a nuclear device on land to seal a gas well is an entirely different proposition than using one beneath the sea floor to seal an oil well.

Bees Wax

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:51:24 +0000

Used in the cleanup of the Exxon Valdez, and they are the only biological products permitted in California or the Chesapeake Bay.
They use a technology known as PRP/WAPED (Petroleum Remediation Product and Water Pollution Eradication Device), which consists of microscopic balls of beeswax that contain pseudomonad bacteria that eat the hydrocarbon compounds found in crude oil, and they can be used in ecologically sensitive areas where conventional cleanup methods won’t work.

Pine Shavings

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:50:21 +0000

Their natural absorbency makes them ideal for soaking up waste, and were used to clean up a hydraulic oil spill at Hancock Sawmill in Maine in 2005. The shavings allowed workers to contain the spill and soak up the oil, which was then burned in an incinerator. This cleanup was conducted with no assistance whatsoever from the state’s Department of Environmental Protection.

While the shavings were effective in this one very small context, it is not known how effective they would be in a multi-million-gallon oil spill the size of the state of Vermont. Also, removing the shavings from the water would be difficult.

Oil Eating Mushrooms

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:49:27 +0000

One form of bioremediation involves the use of fungi to remove pollutants from contaminated areas. This is known as mycoremediation. Mushrooms are used to decontaminate polluted areas. Mushrooms secrete acids and enzymes that aid in the decomposition of complex organic contaminants, making them ideal for use in oil spills.

Oil Spill Hair Mats

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:48:34 +0000

Early on in the BP crisis, human hair was discussed as a possible material for sopping up the oil. Matter of Trust, a nonprofit environmental organization, has partnered with thousands of salons all over the world to use their clippings, which would normally get swept up off the floor and thrown in the trash.

Instead, Matter of Trust collects it, stuffs it into mesh or nylon casings and creates improvised containment booms to control oil spills

Hay

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:48:09 +0000

Road construction companies use hay to control soil erosion along highways and back roads. As it turns out, hay can also be used to soak up oil spills and leave clean water behind.

Most experts believe that if techniques like this were used in the water on a large-scale they could potentially compound the problem, as the oil-soaked hay itself would need to be retrieved over a vast area.

Hay is a cheap and simple material capable of soaking up and removing large quantities of oil if properly utilized.

Biological Agents

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:47:08 +0000

Biological agents increase the rate at which oil naturally biodegrades. During this process, known as bioremediation, chemical agents, fertilizers and microorganisms are applied to oil, which breaks it down into a simpler and more easily removed compound.

Spilled oil must be cleaned up quickly to reduce potential damage to the environment. Unfortunately, biodegradation is a time-consuming process that can take years, especially in the case of a slick as large as the one in the Gulf of Mexico.

Gelling Agents

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:46:35 +0000

Using the motion of the sea, the gelling agent turns the oil into a rubbery substance that can be easily removed from water with nets, suction devices or skimmers. The problem with this method is one of quantity.

Water-Oil Separating Devices

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:46:13 +0000

Several devices have been proposed to separate oil from water, offering a potentially expedient method of cleaning the water.

Companies like EVTN showcase technologies like their Voraxial Separator, which creates a vortex that captures the oil, while pushing clean water outwards.

One device which is attracting a great deal of attention is a machine developed by the actor Kevin Costner. Costner has spent the past 15 years and more than $20 million of his own money into developing the oil separator, a powerful centrifuge that he claims can separate oil from water and dump the oil into a holding tank, leaving the water 99 percent clean of crude.

Natural Recovery

justin — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 19:45:21 +0000

Natural recovery means allowing affected areas to recovery strictly through natural processes such as biodegradation. It is a valid option when the environmental impact of cleaning up a spill could potentially outweigh the benefits of cleaning certain areas, especially if these places are highly dense with vegetation or relatively remote.

Natural recovery ensures that ecosystems aren’t further affected by cleanup activities.