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How to Clean Up an Oil Spill and Who Cleans it Up?

Oil spills occur more frequently than you might think. The United States Environmental Protection Agency says that close to 14,000 oil spills are reported every year. The EPA is responsible to deal with spills that occur in and around United States inland waters. If a spill occurs in coastal waters or deepwater ports, that responsibility falls to the United States Coast Guard. Actual cleanup usually falls upon the company responsible for the spill, sometimes with help from local, state and federal agencies. There are specially trained emergency response personnel who do the actual physical work of cleaning up the oil, and they use a variety of techniques.

Things You'll Need

Booms
Skimmer equipment
Chemical dispersants
Gelling agents -- chemical solidifiers
Biological agents such as bacteria
Sorbent materials -- natural organic, natural inorganic and synthetic
Pressure washers
Rakes
Bulldozers
Spray equipment

Instructions

- 1
  Surround and isolate an oil slick with a boom. A boom may be a series of inflatable neoprene tubes or it may be a solid, buoyant material. Once contained by the boom, float skimmers across the oil, sucking or scooping it into storage tanks on nearby ships or the shore. Use this method in calm, unobstructed water.
- 2
  Spread sorbent materials on the spilled oil to absorb it. These may be natural materials such as peat moss or sawdust, inorganic materials such as clay or volcanic ash, or synthetic sorbents similar to plastics. Use sorbents for small spills or as a final step in cleaning up a larger spill.
- 3
  Spray chemical dispersants on the spill from boats, airplanes and onshore sprayers. These chemicals reduce oil particles to droplet size so that they can be naturally disbursed, evaporated and biodegraded. Spray dispersants when the oil spill covers a large area and especially immediately after a spill. It makes the oil less toxic.
- 4
  Spread a chemical gelling agent, or solidifier, on the spilled oil. Mix the agent with the oil by directing high pressure water streams at the affected area. Once the gelling agent reacts with the oil and becomes solid, remove it with nets, suction equipment or skimmers. Use gelling agents in rougher water instead of other techniques, since rough seas promote mixing of the agent with the oil. Use gelling agents for smaller spills and for keeping oil from permeating sensitive habitats.
- 5
  Apply biological agents such as fertilizers and microorganisms to the oil spill. These speed up the biodegradation process, breaking down the oil into natural substances such as fatty acids or carbon dioxide. Fertilizers stimulate growth of microorganisms. That, and adding additional microorganisms to those naturally occurring at the site of the spill, speed the cleanup process. Use biological agents to clean up shorelines, marshes and wetlands.
- 6
  Clean up shoreline by pressure washing, raking and bulldozing oil-contaminated areas and by washing contaminated wildlife with sorbents. Make use of natural evaporation, biodegradation and oxidation, combining them with these physical methods to help the shoreline recover more quickly.

Nature