Oil Spill Blog

Oil spills are one of the most well-known sources of contamination. They are very hazardous to the environment and to the living organisms, such as plants and animals. Oil spilled or dumped in junkyards is a very serious issue. A Junkyard is a place that is used to store junk, wrecked and abandoned automobiles, trucks, and buses. Motor oils, automobile fluids, and other solid wastes from these junks are dumped into the yard. These oil spills can carry heavy metals and other toxic wastes that are considered to have deleterious effect on nature.

During heavy rain or by surface drains, the toxic chemicals and heavy metals from junkyards seep into the soil making cleaning difficult. Oil spill cleanup procedures are not only tedious but also quite expensive. There are several oil spill cleanup procedures followed by ecologists. They include bioremediation, booms, skimmers, sorbents, chemical dispersants, biological agents, and more.

Of the lot, the most effective and greener way to cleanup the oil spill is bioremediation. A product that makes use of this technology is Oil Gone Easy S-200. It is an eco-friendly oil stain remover that can be used to not only cleanup oil spills on a large scale but also to remove tough oil stains from driveways, garages, and more. Oil Gone Easy Home & Driveway S-200 oil stain remover can be used on different surfaces, such as concrete, flag stone, asphalt, brick, pavers, cobblestone, and soil. This oil stain remover is not only easy to use but also cost effective.

Some Tips in Oil Spill Management:

• In order to prevent oil spills, outdoor storage facilities should have a permanent roof. It prevents precipitation and restricts sunlight entering the storage area.

• Always store degreasers and solvents in a tightly covered container.

• Rags contaminated with paint, solvents, grease, or oil must be sent to a recycling facility.

Popularity: 61% [?]

Ground water is the natural elixir. In the absence of rain water, ground is the only eternal source of water. Due to massive industrialization and other human activities, the ground water resources are under threat. Oil storage systems, chemical tanks, septic tanks, landfills, and crude oil spills are the potential contaminants of ground water. Both the chemical and biological pollutants percolate the ground and mix with the ground water.

Ground water contamination due to crude oil spills have been a persistent problem and less attended to. Over the past years, gallons of fuel oils and motor oil have been spilled on the land and water sources without check. Since ground water is used as potable water in many regions, contamination of it would cause serious health hazards to human beings drinking it. There is less awareness about such contamination among government and non-government agencies.

Bemidji in Minnesota is one well studied crude oil spill site with contaminated ground water. The intensity of ground water poisoning depends greatly on the rate at which the hydrocarbon components disseminate. Natural biodegradation of oil leachates is more complex at the subsurface level due to the absence of oxygen. Crude oil spills should be controlled and the oil contaminated sites should be immediately subject to remedy.

Treatment of contaminated ground water can be done. But oil spill recovery is a tedious process. Purification can be done by pumping the underground water and filtered through the several stages for removal of contaminants. Augmentation of the hydrocarbon degrading microorganisms effectively into the underground water can help in speedy recovery of oil spills.

Oil Gone Easy 200 is an eco-friendly oil spill remover that is used to clean up the oil spills from land and marine waters. This oil spill remover can be sprayed on to the oil spilled site, which provides increased access to bacterial community thus bringing biodegradation of oil spills. Oil Gone Easy is a very good product in dealing home oil spills and drive away oil spills.

Popularity: 61% [?]

Oil spills occur due to leakage from improper oil tanks, offshore drilling, or faulty pipelines. Disorganized transportation of oil is another important factor that leads to oil spills. It is important to act fast to clean up an oil spill and prevent the oil from spreading to a bigger area. When it comes to oil spill cleanup, crude oil and their derivatives are the worst. Traditional oil spill cleanup methods such as incineration, used especially for crude oil spill cleanup, are expensive and are also considered extremely harmful to the environment. So, natural methods of oil spill cleanup are always sought after.

A group of scientists from the Department of Industrial Microbiology at University College, Dublin, conducted a research on the action of certain microbes in tackling with the pollutants in an oil spill. Their research showed the exceptionally diverse nature of these microbes. While some of the constituents of oil proved to be toxic to some of the bacteria, other bacteria were capable of using the oil compounds as food ultimately breaking them down.

According to researchers, simply adding microbes to the spilled oil or the oil stain will not work. Only specific bacteria work upon the oil components to break them down into harmless compounds. Choosing the most applicable bacteria will only help in cleaning up an oil spill. Manipulation and usage of natural microbial populations is necessary to break down the contaminants and bring back the environment to its original form.

Bioremediation has proven to be natural and effective process to gradually destroy the harmful pollutants in oil spills and remove oil stains. It only calls for the use of a specific set of bacteria that will work on any contaminated site. Oil Gone Easy S-200 is one such oil spill cleaner that makes use of the bioremediation technology effectively and cleans not just soil and marine oil spills, but also oil stains from any surface at home.

Popularity: 87% [?]

In-situ oil burning is an effective response for oil spill cleanup on the spot. Oil spill cleanup can be accomplished with comparatively lesser manpower and low cost. Though in-situ burning of oil is effectual in oil spill cleanup, this method poses a serious threat to the environment as well as human beings.

In-situ oil burning is also done on water, but it depends greatly on the thickness of the slick, water temperature, wind speed and direction, oil type, and wave amplitude. After in-situ oil burning the residues tend to sink deep into the water system thus paving the way for toxic build up in the water body. Hence, this method doesn’t hold good for cleaning up oil spills in water.

Oil spill removal through in-situ oil burning greatly affects the people in the neighbourhood areas, the soil, the plantations, and the wildlife within the proximity of the oil spill. In-situ oil burning sometimes results in the seepage of oil further deep into the soil and shoreline sediments. It releases particulate pollutants, such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), carbon monoxide, and other toxic gases directly into the atmosphere rendering the air unfavourable for breathing. The response personnel are also at risk due to the intense heat sources used in in-situ burning. So care should be taken while employing in-situ oil burning. Pollution detection equipments to monitor the particulate pollutant levels in the air should be utilized.

The above mentioned considerations have to be made in using in situ oil burning as the cleanup strategy. Taking into consideration all the drawbacks of in-situ burning, use of eco-friendly oil cleaners, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200 would be ideal for efficient oil spill containment. As opposed to in-situ burning, this oil spill cleanup procedure is extremely safe as it biodegrades the hydrocarbons present in the oil using the microbes present in the environment.

Popularity: 91% [?]

Water pollution is the contamination or adulteration of the water bodies, such as rivers, lakes, seas, oceans, and ground water by number of human activities. Since water is essential for all our basic needs, water pollution is a threat to us. Many communicable diseases spread through unclean water, which even results in death.

Although there are different factors that contribute to water pollution, listed below are the most dangerous causes of water pollution.

• Factories and nuclear plants play a major role in polluting the water. Wastes from factories include toxins, such as lead, mercury, and other contaminants. These chemicals are very harmful and can lead to serious health hazards.

• Nonpoint sources are one of the major causes of water pollution. Oil spills from cars, trucks, and other vehicles on land get mixed with rainwater and runoff into streams and lakes polluting them. These nonpoint sources are very difficult to monitor and control, so it falls on each individual to make sure that their vehicles used does not in any way contribute to further pollution. Proper maintenance of vehicles and oil spill cleanup using eco-friendly products, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200 will help to a great extent.

• Fertilizers and pesticides used in agricultural farms, homeowners lawns, and roadsides are a threat to the natural water source. When runoff into local streams or rivers or when drained down into groundwater, they contaminate the water completely.

• Mining is another major reason for water pollution. Heavy metals and sulfur components which are buried in the earth are exposed during mining and during rainfall these toxic chemicals are exposed, which ultimately result in “acid rain drainage”

• Surprising though it may seem, air pollution is also a cause of water pollution. Pollutants, such as sulfur dioxide, nitric acid, and mercury, when deposited out of air results in nutrient pollution and acidification of lakes.

Popularity: 100% [?]

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has certain rules regarding oil spill cleanup. EPA had published the rules of the Facility Response Plan (FRP) on July 1, 1994. It listed persons who should prepare and submit the FRP and the points that must be included in the plan. Several revisions to the FRP rule were made including the requirements for animal fats and vegetable oils, which was finalized in 2000.

According to the Clean Water Act amended by the Oil Pollution Act, the EPA requires facilities that store and use oil to prepare and submit the Facility Response Plans. Facilities that may cause substantial harm should respond to the Facility Response Plans. All facility owners are also required to maintain a certification form for future EPA inspections.

The Regional EPA Administrator visits facilities to checkout factors like age of tanks, total oil storage capacity, lack of secondary containment, proximity to navigable waters, transfer operations, threat to animals and drinking water, and previous history of oil spills.

EPA expects the FRP to be consistent with the National Contingency Plan and applicable to the Area Contingency Plans. The plans must also identify worst cases of oil discharges to remove them effectively as soon as possible. It helps owners to improve their discharge prevention methods through early identification of risks involved. The facility’s name, location, and owner’s name along with training programs, unannounced drills, and response actions of people on the vessel or facility should be mentioned in the plan. The plan must be also be updated periodically for future references.

In case of oil spills, it is safer to use green cleaning technologies for oil spill cleanup than use harmful chemicals. Facilities can make use of biodegradable products for oil spill cleanup and oil stain removal from rocks and runways. Oil Gone Easy offers eco-friendly products like Oil Gone Easy S-200, which helps in cleaning oil spills without damaging the environment.

Popularity: 56% [?]

Pollution may be defined as the contamination of the natural environment by addition of harmful substances. Basically, the source of pollution is differentiated into two types – point source pollution and nonpoint source pollution. When pollutants are discharged from a single source, then it is called as point source pollution. It could be from sewage discharge plants or industrial waste from companies. Large scale oil spills from oil tanks or ships are best examples of point source pollution.

Unlike point source pollution, the sources of nonpoint source pollution are very diverse. Rain water or flowing water picks up many contaminants including motor oil, grease, sand, wastes, and other toxic materials. These pollutants are finally deposited into waterways such as coastal waters, rivers, lakes, and underground water, thus polluting them. According to the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States, nonpoint source pollution is the number one cause of water quality problem in the country.

Even individual households contribute to nonpoint source pollution through improper usage of chemicals and pesticides and other household practices. Waste water from houses may contain toxic substances, such as oil, grease, metals, pesticides, and PCBs which are the major sources of nonpoint pollution. Motor oil spills from parking lots or runways, oil spilled from storage tanks or motor boats, and off-shore drilling operations are the leading sources of water pollution along shore lines and other areas.

The ecological impact of oil spills on marine as well as land animals can be terrible, which results in reduced flora and fauna. Oil spill cleanup, if done immediately helps prevent the spilled oil from being washed away by running water. You can use eco-friendly products offered by Oil Gone Easy for oil spill cleanup. These biodegradable products break down toxic substances into simple substances that do not cause water pollution.

Popularity: 51% [?]

The International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) is a global association that represents the oil and gas industry. It is one of the major channels of communication between the oil industry and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The oiled wildlife response planning is a report containing the guidelines for conservation of wildlife that inhabit the area affected by an oil spill.

The pre-spilling planning process involves

• Identifying the potential impact of an oil spill.

• Assessing the wildlife present within the geographical area and their vulnerability towards oil spills.

Information about these should be presented in an user-friendly format to help responders react effectively.

Measures to be adopted post oil spill:

• Minimizing the impact of the oil spill by using response technologies to prevent the oil from reaching critical habitats.

• Preventing clean or healthy animals from entering the affected area by means of hazing.

• Removing dead and dying oiled wildlife that are easy prey to predators and scavengers from shores to avoid secondary exposure.

Oil spill response – rehabilitation:

• A temporary rehabilitation center should be set up and maintained.

• The oiled wildlife should be given first aid and transported to facilities for cleaning.

• Cleaned wildlife should be rehabilitated by experienced rehabilitators. The affected species should be returned back to their habitats after captive treatment for some time.

The media, the general public, as well as the local volunteers should be involved

in the response action. Individuals shouldn’t take up the cause without proper training and facilities as it would only prove harmful.

The basic humanitarian objective of saving wildlife drives the stakeholders to help in response planning efforts. However, the damage done to wildlife by oil spills is irreparable and will affect the marine eco-system for years to come.

Popularity: 43% [?]

Oil spills not only affect environmentally but also economically. The economic impacts are directly or indirectly related to the environmental impacts of oil spills. But, the economic impacts of oil spills are not much talked about as the environmental impacts are.

The most direct economic impact of oil spills is the loss of oil. The losses incurred depend on the size of the spill; the bigger the spill, the higher the economic impact. Oil spill cleanup costs too increase with the size of the spill.

Most of the people along coastal areas depend on tourism for income. The restrictions imposed on recreational activities, such as diving, bathing, and boating in the polluted area affect tourism. As a result, they suffer huge economic losses. Until and unless oil spill cleanup is done, these continue to suffer.

Fishing industry is another prominent sector that bears the brunt of oil spills. Contamination or death of commercial marine animals and plants result in economic loss for the fishermen. Oil spill cleanup actions usually take a very long time. The fishing and shellfish area are closed during these periods. This interrupts the fishing activities, resulting in further loss to the fishermen. Fishing boats and equipment get damaged when they come in contact with the spilled oil.

Industries like hydroelectric power plants, desalination plants, and nuclear central stations depend on seawater for their operations. The whole operation of the large scale industries is affected if the spilled oil is mixed in the water being used by them.

With such obvious economic impacts, it is our responsibility to protect our environment from such disasters. Preventing oil spills and using environmentally-friendly oil spill cleaners, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200 rather than other toxic products will help a great deal in minimizing the impact of an oil spill.

Popularity: 48% [?]

One of the largest oil spill disasters occurred in the Galician coast of Spain in 2002. Prestige, an oil tanker carrying 77,033 metric tons of oil, sank when one of its tanks burst, spilling more than 20 million gallons of oil into the sea.

The marine ecosystem of Galicia rich in coral reefs comprising different species of sharks and birds was greatly affected. The polyaromatic hydrocarbons contained in the spilled oil poisoned plankton, fish eggs, and crustaceans and caused carcinogenic effects in fish and animals. The fishing industry also suffered heavy losses as offshore fishing had to be put on hold for the next 6 months.

As part of the massive oil spill cleanup efforts, underwater oil spill containment operations were carried out. First the leakage was reduced to 20 liters a day by sealing the cracks in the hull. Later the oil was pumped into aluminum shuttles by drilling small holes in the wreck.

Oil Gone Easy S-200, an eco-friendly product was used to clean up the beaches that were affected by the Prestige oil spill. This product uses the bioremediation process to help convert polluting hydrocarbons into harmless byproducts using the microorganisms present in the environment, thus cleaning up the oil spill in an environmentally-friendly way.

The field survey on the use of S-200 in Cantabrian coast in northern Spain by the Department of Microbiology, University of Barcelona revealed that S-200 had increased the biodegradation rate of high molecular weight hydrocarbons like benzenes. Surprisingly, there was a significant reduction of harmful diasteranes and C-27 sterane components.

The pollution caused by the Prestige oil spill will continue to affect marine population in the coming decade. The main cause of oil spills is human apathy and negligence. As it causes severe damage to the ecosystem everyone should take due care to protect Mother Nature.

Popularity: 25% [?]