The release of petroleum products into the environment, such as marine ecosystems, has caused a huge environmental disaster. Accidents in oil drilling, leaking in pipelines, transport failure, and other practices such as bilge dumping are potential sources. Spilled oil creates a slick on the water surface and presents an immediate threat to marine living organisms and ecosystems. The first major oil spill was in 1967 when the Torrey Canyon oil tanker ran onto the beach in England oil. Approximately 100,000 tons of crude oil flowed into the sea, setting a record to be followed by other biggest spills (Oil Spill Response, 2023). Another major oil spillage was the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989 off Alaska and the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe in 2010 within the Gulf of Mexico (Zhang et al., 2019).
Oil spills occur in all sizes-from extremely small leaks to catastrophic releases. Small oil spills happen when fuels are transferred, while large oil spills usually occur due to an accident or mechanical failure in equipment. These spills pose serious environmental hazards. Besides the immediate physical damage, the spilled oil can release toxic chemicals into the air and remain in the environment, continuously harming wildlife and ecosystem systems long after the spill (Zhang et al., 2019). Furthermore, humans who depend on the sea for their economic livelihoods are often affected when oil spills occur, such as fishermen and people who rely on tourism.
- Bildge Dumping
Bilge dumping is one of the main sources of oil pollution in the marine environment. It is associated with the discharge of a bilgewater mixture of water, oil, chemicals, and other waste materials accumulated inside the lower parts of ships directly into the ocean. While international regulations such as MARPOL require ships to treat and correctly dispose of bilge water, a large number of vessels, particularly the old and the controlled ones, have been discharging oils into the seas and oceans (Luis Alfonso Díaz-Secades, 2024). The bilge water contains oils, heavy metals, chemicals, and more within its sludge, grossly toxic to marine environments. Spilled into the sea, oil spreads out in a slick that can travel great distances, affecting aquatic life. The effects on marine life include breaking food chain cycles and ruining sensitive ecosystems such as coral reefs and mangrove swamps (Luis Alfonso Díaz-Secades, 2024). Additionally, heavy metals and chemicals discharged into the seas and oceans may bioaccumulate in tissues and lead to the death of marine organisms.
Activity: Simulating oil spills and attempting to clean them up
Small-Scale Modeling of Oil Spill Cleanup Methods
- Brainstorm on the different methods that can be used in cleaning up oil spills and their level of effectiveness.
- After that, discuss the skimming, absorption, and dispersant methods of cleaning the oil spills.
- Define the hypothesis that relates to the most appropriate method of oceans from oil spills from the three methods presented in step 2 above.
- Model the set-up with oil spill spans. Place the pan on a table and a stone at the center of the pan, then add water to the pie of the pan until it’s half-full.
- Begin the testing by placing one tablespoon of dark-colored oil in a pie pan and observing the observations closely.
- Put one feather into oily water and remove it after 30 seconds. Observe and record what the oil will have done to the feather.
- Use an oil skimmer (spoon) to remove oil, then pour the graduated cylinder, demonstrating how the spoon could gently skim the topmost layers of oils without removing spoonfuls of water.
- Find approximately the percentage of oil and the percentage of water that has been removed, recording the results in a worksheet.
- Record the scores (M = medium, H = High, and L = low) in the worksheets for the effectiveness and cost of skimming posing as an environmental engineer.
- Using an absorbent cloth, absorb oil and observe how the fabric absorbs the oil best.
- Add Ferrofluid elements (Method of Removing Oil spills)
- Number three different batteries.
- Measure the voltage potential of each of the three batteries.
- Put each battery in a flashlight or a medium-drain device, then turn it on.
- Run the devices for 30 minutes before measuring the voltage potential for the second time.
- Repeat steps 1 to 4 until each battery has a potential of 0.9 V.
- Repeat steps 1 to 5 for three trials.
- Using the flashlights, rotate each battery brand so that they turn on.
- Repeat step 7 using a CD player with the same volume across the tests.
Large-scale cleans-up techniques.
Large-scale oil cleanup techniques must be employed to mitigate the pollution caused by the large-scale release of oil. Among the most prevalent methods are containment booms floating barriers that impede oil spread. Besides this, the dispersant method can be used with chemicals administered to the oil by spraying it, breaking it down into smaller droplets, increasing its vulnerability to natural degradation processes. The bioremediation method can also be used with oil-degrading bacteria to hasten the natural breakdown process of oil in affected ecosystems.
The prevention of oil spills
Periodic inspection and maintenance to locate weak points in offshore drilling rigs and pipelines before any failure occurs is an appropriate method for preventing oil spills. Additionally, international regulations concerning strict enforcement have helped minimize spills due to human error or illegal dumping. These regulations include the MARPOL Convention. Besides, training programs for people involved in the extraction and transportation of oil can go a long way in reducing human error, which is identified as one of the main causes of a spill.
The future of oil spills and how they are cleaned up
Oil spills will likely continue with the advent of oil exploration, which progresses into deeper, more remote waters. However, drones and AUVs could be used to identify and characterize spills and prevent oil spills. Using nanotechnology to develop new, more effective oil-absorbing materials could effectively handle and prevent unprecedented oil spills in oceans and seas.
References
Luis Alfonso Díaz-Secades. (2024). Abatement of bilge dumping: another piece to achieve Maritime Decarbonization. Societal Impacts, 100037–100037. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socimp.2024.100037
Oil Spill Response. (2023). Torrey Canyon Oil Spill Remembered | 1967 | Oil Spill Response. Oilspillresponse.com. https://www.oilspillresponse.com/news–media/news/remembering-torrey-canyon/
Zhang, B., Matchinski, E. J., Chen, B., Ye, X., Jing, L., & Lee, K. (2019). Marine Oil Spills—Oil Pollution, Sources and Effects. World Seas: An Environmental Evaluation, 3, 391–406. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-805052-1.00024-3