Oil spills are a very common encounter that may occur accidentally, but the toll that it takes on marine life is irreparable. Today, oil spills have become a pressing problem throughout the world. Considering this, many clean-up methods have also been introduced to remove such deposits of oil from the water bodies.
As the density of oil is lesser than water, the liquid keeps floating on the water. Hence, removing oil sheen or the accumulation of oil on such water bodies is not a task. Many big and small methods can be used to carry out the process.
Listed below are some of the most common practices adopted by the onboarders to remove oil sheen:
Oil Booms:
Removing the accumulation of oil using oil booms is one of the most common methods. Experts suggest that this method controls oil spills effectively, thereby saving marine life from danger. This method makes use of equipment known as containment. This fence-like structure wards off oil from spreading or floating on the water.
Oil booms include three parts – a freeboard, a skirt as well as a cable chain. A freeboard helps to stop oil and prevents it from splashing from the top. The skirt then escapes such oil and locks it from escaping. Lastly, the cables or chain then stabilize the boom so that it works more effectively in treating the oil spill.
Skimmers:
A skimmer removes oil sheen effectively and is a popular method to remove other contaminants from the water as well. You may as well use this method to clean oil and impurities after applying the oil booming method to control the spilling of oil from any water surface.
A skimmer sucks up oil from the water like the back of its hand. Afterward, the oil can be separated from the machine and re-used for the concerned purpose. The act of recovering oil by this method is very effective when compared to others. We recommend seeking professional help to execute this method for the best results.
Sorbents:
Two different types of methods are used to clean oil from the water using sorbents –- absorption and adsorption. Both these methods when combined, make cleaning up the oil spill much easier. This process also includes some other materials to treat the spilling of oil such as peat moss, hay, straw, vermiculite.
Using sorbents is much easier. Collect the said materials and start by working on them. This kind of method can help you treat all types of oil spilling.
Chemical Dispersants:
Another sought-after method using which you can remove the oil spill is chemical dispersing method. You can release a chemical dispersant in the water body. It can be done either by a plane of small size or a vessel that is on an oil slick used as a response vessel. After this, the oil will break down into tiny droplets that further mix easily into the water body. These droplets now become the food of the many microbial life that is found in water bodies. Like humans, they “chew” to break the tiny droplets into insignificant compounds that easily dissolve in the water and don’t pose a threat anymore.
Although this method is famous for removing oil spillage from water, it comes with its own drawbacks. You can only use this method under restricted conditions. If the weather conditions are too harsh, you cannot carry out removing oil sheen using this method.
Takeaway:
An oil spill is a very harmful incident that needs to be treated at once. You must ensure to take all the necessary measures to avoid the situation in the first place. The above-listed methods can be used effectively and lead to the best results.