The total cost of an oil spill can be derived by using at least four different methods see kontovas and psaraftis, 2008. Nov 18, 2014 one of the largest oil spills in recent history happened in april 2010 in the gulf of mexico when the deepwater horizon oil rig exploded and sank, resulting in the blowout of the macondo well located approximately 66 km off the louisiana coast. Environmental protection agencys oil spill program plays an important role in. Schematic diagram depicting the effects of a large oil spill on mangrove forests 2 figure 3. Oil properties and their impact on spill response options. Nayyab nadeem hamayal wajid lodhi shaima saqib sara hassan sajal shahbaz 2. Oil spill research strategy 1 introduction the environmental protection agencys epa oil spill research program has been in existence since 1990, following the exxon valdez oil spill and enactment of the oil pollution act of 1990 opa90. Oil spills require quick action so that they cause as little damage as possible. Oil spills endanger public health, imperil drinking water, devastate natural. Consideration should be given to seeding oil spills with hydrocarbonoclastic bacteria.
Hydrocarbondegrading bacteria often produce bioemulsifiers. The fate of spilled oil in the marine environment depends upon factors such. Deepwater horizon oil spill lessons learned workshop. There were 411 burn operations conducted during the course of the response that removed an estimated 250,000 barrels of oil.
These droplets can also form a secondary slick or thin film on the surface of the water. Inquiry lab operation oil spill cleanup ee in wisconsin. A pdf is a digital representation of the print book, so while it can be loaded into most ereader programs, it doesnt allow for resizable text or advanced, interactive functionality. Oils spilled into the sea at temperatures below their pour point form semi. Purchase standard handbook oil spill environmental forensics 2nd edition. Applications of some traditional oil spill cleanup techniques in wetland habitats have caused more damage than the oil itself. Detection of oil on the bottom chain dragsvsors sorbent material attached to chains and dragged some distance, then inspected for oil used at many submerged oil spills as an initial search strategy provides data only on relative amounts of oil within drag area many limitations, but still useful. The advantages of insitu burning include rapid removal of oil and no need for oil recovery, transport, storage, and disposal. Nanotechnologybased solutions for oil spills nanowerk spotlight the recent oil spill in the gulf of mexico is widely acknowledged to be among the worst ocean oil spills in world history. The oil from this well macondo oil is typical of light louisiana crude from petroleum reservoirs more than 5000 m deep.
The major disadvantages of insitu burning include the black smoke, difficulties of collecting and containing a large amount of the oil to. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the u. Oil spilled on water begins to spread naturally away from the source. An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas. One of the largest oil spill disasters was the exxon valdez disaster, which happened in 1989 in alaska. Diagram showing the transport of oil to groundwater following a spill. Results of laboratory tests suggest the possibility that burn residues may sink for about 40 to 60% of crude oils worldwide. The objective of this document is to present a detailed technical guideline for use by spill responders for the cleanup of coastal wetlands contaminated with oil and oil products. In all, it took 84 days to stop the flow of oil from the deepwater horizon well. Source file data formats were standardized and spill volumes were converted to. The surfactant solution includes chemicals found in everyday soaps and detergents can be delivered by plane or boat. Approximately 40% of the worlds oil travels by water at some time between its production and final consumption, and again the volumes are staggering. Dispersed oil and the chemical response to oil spills.
Bioremediation of petroleum in the sea is limited by n and p availability. The pote ntial for oil spills is sig nifica nt, an d researc h on the fate of petroleum in a marine envir onment is impor tant to evaluate the environm ental threat of oil spills, and to develop. Cooperative aquatic toxicity testing of dispersed oil and the. This spill occurred as a result of a blow out at funiwa 5 offshore station.
Nutrient nitrogen plus phosphorous fer tilizer and oxgen hydrogen peroxide additions stimulated biodeg radation of hydrocarbons leading to enhanced rates of recovery. Feb 21, 2011 nanotechnologybased solutions for oil spills nanowerk spotlight the recent oil spill in the gulf of mexico is widely acknowledged to be among the worst ocean oil spills in world history. Bioremediation as a tool for resiliency in oil spills abstract with an increase in boating, offshore drilling, and transportation of oil, coastal communities are in need of a plan to clean up waterways in the event of an offshore oil spill. Biodegradation of oil and bioremediation of oil spills atlas and atlas 443 this study examines the use of bioremediation for the treatment of diesel fuelcontaminated soil. Crude oil biodegradation in the marine environments intechopen. The national oil and hazardous substances pollution. Standard handbook oil spill environmental forensics 2nd edition. The devastating environmental impacts of the exxon valdez spill in 1989 and its media notoriety made it a frequent comparison to the bp deepwater horizon spill in the popular press in 2010, even though the nature of the two spills and the environments impacted were vastly different. Bioremediation of oil spills submitted by anchal garg environment science 2016 2. Guidelines for the bioremediation of oilcontaminated salt. Causes, consequences, prevention, and countermeasures. Offshore oil drilling and the use of supertankers for transporting oil pose the risk of oil spills.
National oceanic and atmospheric administration national ocean service office of response and restoration. Bioremediation as a tool for resiliency in oil spills. Oil spills can damage commercial and recreational fishing areas, spoil beaches, kill marine birds, mammals, and other aquatic life, and destroy shellfish communities. Aug 15, 2011 oil leaked from multiple locations along the riser pipe and the top of the bop figure figure2. Oil spills in or on soils have the potential to release benzene to the environment when a precipitation event carries dissolved benzene to groundwater sources. Insitu burningthe controlled combustion of spilled oil in the environmentwas one of many remedial techniques employed during the prolonged deepwater horizon oil spill response in the gulf of mexico in 2010. Herding surfactants to contract and thicken oil spills for insitu burning in arctic waters 3 jip members the jip is managed under the auspices of the international association of oil and gas producers iogp and is supported by nine international oil and gas companies bp, chevron. Oil spills, or the accidental release of liquid petroleum into the environment, pose a major concern. The ebook is optimized for ereader devices and apps, which means that it offers a much better digital reading experience than a pdf, including resizable text and. Hydrophobic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers are the potential solution for the treatment of oil spills. It was an environmental disaster of an unprecedented level, at least in the united states, and it held that title until the oil spill on the deepwater horizon oil rig, located in the. Bioremediation oil spills share this page oil spills have become serious problem in cold environments with ever icrese in resource exploitation,transportation,storage and accidental lekage of oils bioremidation is a promising action for remidation it is effective and economic in removing oils with less undue environmental damages. Viscositytemperature relationship for the four crude oils in table 1. According to the environmental protection agency epa, oil.
A method for quantitative mapping of thick oil spills. Oil spill section louisiana department of natural resources. Oil spill preparedness, prevention, and response on the. The total cost of an oil spill can be derived by using at least four different methods. This file is licensed under the creative commons attributionshare alike 3. The oil spill section is responsible for planning, response, and natural resource damage assessment nrda activities resulting from oil spill incidents that occur in the louisiana coastal zone. Standard handbook oil spill environmental forensics 2nd. Bioremediation of water areas due to oil spills alison hawkins abstract there are various methods that can be used to cleanup an oil spill on a waterway. Accidents involving oil tankers or offshore platforms or oil pipelines, spills from offshore drilling, spills from pipelines, and leakages from sunken, grounded or abandoned ships and so on petroleum is a complex mixture of hydrocarbons.
Residues from in situ burning of oil on water response. The in situ burn operation eventually grew to include three task forces, each consisting of a three vessel ignition team, two task. However, the federal governments national oil and hazardous substances pollution contingency plan ncp overseen by the environmental protection agency epa currently lists a category of nontoxic. Although significant steps have been taken over the last 15 years to reduce the size and frequency of oil spills, the sheer volume of petroleum consumed in this country and the complex production and distribution network required to meet the demand make spills of oil and other petroleum products. Abstract bioremediation of marine oil spills in the long run, biodegradation is the eventual fate of oil spilled at sea that cannot be collected or burnt.
Feb 08, 2019 the small amounts of residue resulting from in situ burning isb of oil on water can cause environmental concerns. A method is described to create qualitative images of thick oil in oil spills on water using nearinfrared imaging spectroscopy data. Health effects of oil spills and implications for public. Oil spills have a devastating effect on the marine environment.
A new model for the biodegradation kinetics of oil. Short and longterm health impacts of marine and terrestrial oil spills. Fortunately, unlike higher organisms that are adversely impacted by oil spills, microorganisms are able to. One of the largest oil spills in recent history happened in april 2010 in the gulf of mexico when the deepwater horizon oil rig exploded and sank, resulting in the blowout of the macondo well located approximately 66 km off the louisiana coast. It is no exaggeration that oil fuels the worlds economy, and it is used on a staggering scale. It has been called the oldest cleanup method applied to oil spills fingas. The oil initially floats in a layer up to several inches thick. This in turn allows ocean bacteria to break down the oil much faster and more effectively. This manual is a supplement of the previously published guidelines for the bioremediation of marine shorelines and freshwater wetlands zhu et al. The exxon valdez has become a household name, and its no surprise that the event triggered a wave of change in the world of environmental laws and oil spills. Oil spillage regulatory and scientific affairs department publication 356 august 2009 prepared by.
The method uses simple threepointband depths computed for each pixel in an imaging spectrometer image cube using the organic absorption features due to chemical bonds in aliphatic hydrocarbons at 1. Conscious that oil exploration, production and refining activities, as well as related marine transport, pose a threat of significant oil spills in the wider caribbean region, aware that the islands of the region are particularly vulnerable, owing to the fragility of their ecosystems and the. Some oil is quickly degraded without doing any harm, but oil can remain in the environment unchanged for decades before having negative impacts. Enhanced bioremediation of oil spills in the sea sciencedirect. Inevitably, the spill has once again raised serious concerns worldwide about the likely environmental impact of such catastrophic oil spills caused by oil tanker accidents at sea or. Evaporation occurs when the lighter or more volatile substances within the oil mixture become vapors and. Conscious that oil exploration, production and refining activities, as well as related marine transport, pose a threat of significant oil spills in the wider caribbean region, aware that the islands of the region are particularly vulnerable, owing to the fragility of their ecosystems and the economic reliance of certain of them on the. We look at the problems oil spills cause and the science involved in cleanup operations. Impacts and management of oil spill pollution along the. Bioremediation oil spills list of high impact articles. Fingerprinting and source identification, second edition, provides users with the latest information on the tools and methods that have become popular over the past ten years.
Wind, waves and currents move the oil over the water surface and also contribute to emulsification. Oil spills can literally wipe off such small species of organisms. It is believed that 250,000 seabirds and 2, 800 sea otters were killed in that oil spill, not to mention. Petroleum oil is a dark colored, flammable liquid found throughout the world in underground pockets in the earths outer layer of rocks. The national oil and hazardous substances pollution contingency plan 40 cfr part 300, referred to subsequently as the national contingency plan ncp, is the principal federal mechanism for operations pertaining to the identification, containment, and cleanup of releases of oil and hazardous substances in the coastal united states. Petroleum oil is a dark colored, flammable liquid found throughout the world in underground pockets in. Detection of oil on the bottom chain dragsvsors sorbent material attached to chains and dragged some distance, then inspected for oil used at many submerged oil spills as an initial search strategy provides data only on relative amounts of. Nontraditional response and emergency restoration projects hosted by the department of the interior, office of environmental policy and compliance may 17. There are physical, chemical, and biological alternatives. The most publicised of all oil spills in nigeria occurred on january 17 1980 when a total of 37. In situ burning at the 2010 deepwater horizonbp oil spill played a significant role in reducing the amount of oil on the waters surface. Oil spills, or the accidental release of liquid petroleum into the environment, pose a major concern to the health of natural ecosystems. Dagmar schmidt etkin, phd environmental research consulting.
Many oil drilling platforms are located in chinas offshore shipping and port areas, and they are not only the national strategic oil reserve base but also the oil reserve base of chinese oil companies. Oil spills journal of petroleum and environmental biotechnology. Use 106 inch as average thickness iridescent blue green. Multiple technologies are typically used in a spill response, including. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in. As a consequence of the importance of oil spills relative to other sources of organic contaminants in the marine environment, there is a large body of research on oil spill bioremediation. The biological method is also known as bioremediation, which can be broken down into bioaugmentation and biostimulation. Memo to participants of the alvenus oil spill, january 4, 1984. Furthermore, studies of oiled shorelines have been far more numerous than open water studies, which have often been equivocal 11, 12.
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. Crude oil biodegradation in the marine environments. For example, nothing can be done about the chemical composition of the oil, and no adequate engineering approaches are currently. Nontraditional response and emergency restoration projects hosted by the department of the interior, office of environmental policy and compliance. Oil spills oil spills occur frequently throughout the world. Schematic showing the different patterns of oil spill impacts to mangrove forests 34 figure 3. Cooperative aquatic toxicity testing of dispersed oil and. Surfactant agents aim to disperse the oil from the top layer of the ocean into small oil chunks. Congress, office of technology assessment,bioremediation for marine oil spills background paper, otabpo70 washington, dc. This report updates the 2012 oil spill occurrence rate estimates applicable. World production was some 80 mbbl 11 mtday by the end of 2000, and this is expected to increase by 1. Containment booms were used to contain oil spilled during the 2010 deepwater horizon.
V volume of oil spill a area of oil slick or contaminated zone t thickness of oil slick or contaminated zone with snow, t equivalent oil thickness oil on water oil color sheen silvergray. Using nanomicromachines to help clean up oil spills. Understanding oil spills and oil spill response pdf epa. The book presents practitioners with the latest environmental forensics techniques and best practices for quickly identifying the sources of spills, how to form an. After an oil spill, timely decisions must be made about the most effective re sponse to mitigate the environmental impacts of the spill. Further, institutional frameworks establish the decision making approaches, organizational roles, and responsibilities used during spill preparedness and response to manage oil spills bearden and ramseur, 2017. Spills are only one source oil released to the sea. How much of the oil is degraded harmlessly depends on many factors, but generally degradation is accelerated by warm water, by mixing, and by the presence of microbes that can metabolize oil products. Government printing office, washington, dc 204029325 order form can be found in the back of this report. A method for qualitative mapping of thick oil spills using. Inevitably, the spill has once again raised serious concerns worldwide about the likely environmental impact of such catastrophic oil spills caused by oil. Standard handbook oil spill environmental forensics. When oil is spilled into the sea it undergoes a number of physical and chemical. In oil spill remediation, it is critically important to understand the window of opportunity for various cleanup technologies.
Biodegradation of oil and bioremediation of oil spills. Study on the biodegradation of crude oil by free and. Manual removal of oil is a critical first step and when paired with bioremediation. Obviously, some of these factors can be manipulated more easily than others. The opa90 authorizes the epa office of research and development ord to conduct oil spill research. Oil properties and their impact on spill response options bsees.