Econometric modelling, estimation and policy analysis of oil spill processes

This paper explores approaches to model specification suitable for empirical investigation of a stochastic oil spill model. We focus on the effects of economic incentive measures on the frequency of oil spills, spill size, and volume of oil spilled. We look into the relationships between parameters that describe the spill generation process and the enforcement effort, using data for the Black and Baltic Seas.     

溢油清除水面机器人在海洋石油污染处理中的应用

为解决现有清除溢油技术存在的效率低、自动化程度低、成本高等问题,针对其无法适应海面油污清理的机械化、智能化的需求,自主研发了一种超疏水亲油材料,即泡沫金属基浮油收集材料,设计并制作了溢油回收装置,结合自主水面机器人平台,研制出溢油清除水面机器人系统,该系统具有自主持续性吸油、自主巡航、自动识别油污等功能。实验表明,该超疏水亲油材料吸油效果良好,效率高,且吸油材料能够循环利用。通过水面机器人模拟测试分析可知,该溢油清除水面机器人系统能够实现海面油污清除的智能化、自动化,且具有较好的发展前景和应用前景。     

改性木屑对海上溢油的吸附

为提高吸油倍率降低吸水倍率,对天然松木屑进行了改性,得到了一种新的除油吸附剂。对该吸附剂的吸油吸水性能进行测定,并确定最佳条件。结果显示：改性木屑吸油效果提升显著,在纯原油中吸油倍率是天然松木屑的2.50倍;吸水倍率降低了80%;漂浮性能好;吸附2 min就能达到吸附平衡,吸附速率是原始松木屑和活性炭的15倍;粒径对改性木屑吸水吸油性能基本无影响;低温和中性条件有利于油的吸附。     

海洋石油工程新型溢油监测系统的研究

随着海洋石油的开采力度的加大,海上平台溢油事故也不断发生。在对传统监测方式的不足和海上溢油监测技术未来发展的趋势进行了综合考虑之后,开发了一套基于紫外诱导荧光探测技术的溢油监测系统。监测系统主要由检测终端、数据采集及异常报警系统和计算机处理及显示终端3个子模块组成,可以实现对海上平台潜在油污染源头信息的实时收集、传输、预警等功能。     

New generation material for oil spill cleanup

Three-dimensional graphene-based materials promise oil spill cleanup in water at throughputs much higher than state-of-the-art oil–water separation materials.     

碳同位素在溢油鉴定中的应用研究

通过分析中国代表性原油、氯仿沥青"A"组分碳同位素和正构烷烃单体碳同位素组成,探讨其在溢油鉴定中的应用.结果表明,原油的碳同位素组成具有母质继承效应,不同来源的原油及其氯仿沥青"A"组分的碳同位素类型曲线形状不同,可以利用这种规律进行溢油鉴定.碳同位素的抗风化性是其用于油指纹鉴别的最大优点.正构烷烃单体碳同位素分析使得有机质碳同位素研究进入分子级水平,因其特征性和稳定性正日益成为重要且有效的油类污染物的"环境示踪剂".     

分散剂在溢油污染控制中的应用

使用分散剂来控制海上溢油污染是常用的应急措施之一。本文介绍了油分散剂的发展历史、作用机理及其优越性 ,列出了分散剂用于溢油污染控制的实例。针对分散剂使用中存在的问题 ,指出施加分散剂时应综合考虑多种因素 ,并做环境风险评价。最后根据我国的实际情况 ,提出应加强与分散剂有关的科学研究     

Progression of natural attenuation processes at a crude oil spill site: II. Controls on spatial distribution of microbial populations

A multidisciplinary study of a crude-oil contaminated aquifer shows that the distribution of microbial physiologic types is strongly controlled by the aquifer properties and crude oil location. The microbial populations of four physiologic types were analyzed together with permeability, pore-water chemistry, nonaqueous oil content, and extractable sediment iron. Microbial data from three vertical profiles through the anaerobic portion of the contaminated aquifer clearly show areas that have progressed from iron-reduction to methanogenesis. These locations contain lower numbers of iron reducers, and increased numbers of fermenters with detectable methanogens. Methanogenic conditions exist both in the area contaminated by nonaqueous oil and also below the oil where high hydrocarbon concentrations correspond to local increases in aquifer permeability. The results indicate that high contaminant flux either from local dissolution or by advective transport plays a key role in determining which areas first become methanogenic. Other factors besides flux that are important include the sediment Fe(II) content and proximity to the water table. In locations near a seasonally oscillating water table, methanogenic conditions exist only below the lowest typical water table elevation. During 20 years since the oil spill occurred, a laterally continuous methanogenic zone has developed along a narrow horizon extending from the source area to 50-60 m downgradient. A companion paper [J. Contam. Hydrol. 53, 369-386] documents how the growth of the methanogenic zone results in expansion of the aquifer volume contaminated with the highest concentrations of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes.     

Environmental photooxidation of dibenzothiophenes following the Amoco Cadiz oil spill

Photooxidation products of dibenzothiophenes (sulfur containing petroleum heteroaromatic hydrocarbons) were characterized in an oil slick sample obtained from a field location following the AMOCO CADIZ oil spill. The same oxidation products were formed in the laboratory by the photooxidation of a medium Arabian crude oil which contained the identical precursor hydrocarbons. Analytical techniques included fractionation by liquid/solid chromatography and characterization using high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. To the best of the author's knowledge, this represents the first reported instance for the formation of photooxidation products following an actual oil spill. A comparison of the quantities of various oxidation products was carried out by quantitative mass spectrometry using extracted ion current profiles of dibenzothiophenes and their corresponding sulfoxides. The geochemical and physiological implications of such photooxidation processes are also discussed.     

A protocol for assessing the effectiveness of oil spill dispersants in stimulating the biodegradation of oil

Dispersants are important tools in oil spill response. Taking advantage of the energy in even small waves, they disperse floating oil slicks into tiny droplets (<70 μm) that entrain in the water column and drift apart so that they do not re-agglomerate to re-form a floating slick. The dramatically increased surface area allows microbial access to much more of the oil, and diffusion and dilution lead to oil concentrations where natural background levels of biologically available oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus are sufficient for microbial growth and oil consumption. Dispersants are only used on substantial spills in relatively deep water (usually >10 m), conditions that are impossible to replicate in the laboratory. To date, laboratory experiments aimed at following the biodegradation of dispersed oil usually show only minimal stimulation of the rate of biodegradation, but principally because the oil in these experiments disperses fairly effectively without dispersant. What is needed is a test protocol that allows comparison between an untreated slick that remains on the water surface during the entire biodegradation study and dispersant-treated oil that remains in the water column as small dispersed oil droplets. We show here that when this is accomplished, the rate of biodegradation is dramatically stimulated by an effective dispersant, Corexit 9500®. Further development of this approach might result in a useful tool for comparing the full benefits of different dispersants.     

Treatment of oil spill by sorption technique using fatty acid grafted sawdust

Treatment of oil spills remains a challenge to environmental scientists and technologists. Among all the existing techniques used for oil treatment, sorption is a popular technique because it is cheap, simple and effective. Among the various sorbents used, sawdust appears to be the most attractive material in terms of cost, versatility and abundance. In the present work, the efficacy of surface modification of sawdust by fatty acids (oleic acid, stearic acid and decanoic acid) and vegetable oils (castor oil or mustard oil) is demonstrated. Sorption of seawater contaminated with crude oil and also weathered oil was greatly enhanced by the surface modification. The results show that oleic acid grafted sawdust (OGSD) has the best sorption capacity for crude oil as well as weathered oil.     

Molecular behavior assessment on initial stages of oil spill in terrestrial environments

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The contamination of terrestrial environments by oil spills creates biological risks to humans and affects the ecosystem’s health. The studies...     

The effect of crude oil and oil spill chemicals on nitrogen fixation in the cyanobacteria Nostoc sp

The effects of crude oil and three oil spill dispersants (Corexit 9600, 9550 and 7664) on nitrogenase activity in the cyanobacteria Nostoc sp. were examined. The addition of oil to Nostoc sp. cultures resulted in a catastrophic decline in nitrogenase activity with activity ceasing 7 h after treatment. The addition of a dispersant with the oil did not ameliorate this effect. Cultures exposed to high concentrations of dispersants showed lower rates on nitrogenase activity than untreated cultures. However, it is unlikely that dispersant concentrations of this magnitude would occur in the field. At the lowest concentration tested, which approximates the manufacturer's recommended application rate, the effects of the dispersant appear to be negligible.     

Effects of washing fiddler crabs (Uca pugnax) following an oil spill

An oil spill on 2 January 1990 in New Jersey resulted in premature emergence of fiddler crabs Uca pugnax from their underground burrows. Live fiddler crabs that emerged on the surface were collected and behavioral changes were compared between those that were washed with freshwater and those that were not washed. Locomotion, aggression, balance, and burrowing behavior were examined. Unwashed crabs improved significantly on only one of twelve behavioral tests, while washed crabs improved in four tests relating to movement, defensive behavior, and burrowing. The washed crabs showed the greater improvement on ten of twelve tests while unwashed crabs showed greater improvement for two tests. Washed crabs also showed greater improvement in their ability to find and to construct their own burrows. These experiments indicate that oil removal improves the behavioral performance of crabs, and suggests that under some circumstances the immediate flushing of salt marsh creeks by uncontaminated tidal waters may decrease behavioral effects on crabs.     

Evaluation of alternative oil spill cleanup techniques in a Spartina alterniflora salt marsh

Three oil spill situations which cause long-term impact were simulated in 1 m(2) salt marsh plots to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative cleanup techniques at removing oil and reducing damage to Spartina alterniflora. Cleanup techniques, implemented 18-24 h after oiling, were not effective at removing oil after sediment penetration. When oil remained on the sediment surface, flushing techniques were most effective at removal, reducing levels of added oil by 73% to 83%. The addition of dispersant to the flushing stream only slightly enhanced oil removal. Clipping of vegetation followed by sorbent pad application to sediment was moderately effective, reducing added oil by 36% to 44%. In contrast to flushing and clipping, burning increased the amount of oil in sediment by 27% to 72%. Although flushing and clipping were effective at oil removal, neither technique reduced initial damage to plants or enhanced long-term recovery. While flushed plots sustained no additional plant damage due to cleanup, clipped and burned plots sustained additional initial plant damage. Based on these results, first considerations should be given to natural tidal flushing as the means to remove oil, especially in salt marshes subject to ample tidal inundation. Although our results do not support cleanup in salt marshes with ample tidal inundation, low pressure flushing may be warranted when fuel oils or large quantities of crude oil impact salt marshes subject to reduced tidal flushing. Flushing, when warranted, should be initiated prior to oil penetration into the substrate. Clipping may be considered as a cleanup response only when heavy oil cannot be effectively removed from vegetation by flushing. Burning is not recommended because it enhances oil penetration into sediment and causes substantial initial plant damage.     

基于风洞平台实验的大型罐区溢油事故后的油气扩散模拟

通过研究江苏省境内某实体罐区发生溢油事故后油气蒸发的扩散规律,掌握罐区空气浓度的变化,以达到保障罐区环保与安全的目的.基于风洞平台实验,测定油气蒸发速率并通过实验风场数据验证数值模型的准确性,建立与实际油库1∶1的大型罐区模型,使用UDF编译环境风方程导入.通过CFD数值模拟,重点分析了罐区发生溢油事故后油气扩散规律、...     

Effects of shoreline sensitivity on oil spill trajectory modeling of the Lower Mississippi River

Background, aim, and scope  

The Lower Mississippi River is a major transportation route for commercial goods and petroleum products produced and refined locally. Oil spills caused by vessel accidents and equipment failure at refineries are a serious threat to the drinking water supply of Southern Louisiana, as well as to the many natural, economic, and social resources supported by the river. Providing accurate trajectory modeling to contingency planners is critical to protecting the local environment. The majority of trajectory model results, assuming a uniform shoreline, show 60–70% of spilled oil can be retained. This study examines the impact of detailed shoreline mapping that captures spatial and temporal changes in shoreline type on oil spill trajectory modeling.     

The effects of oil spill chemicals on carbon translocation rates in Phaseolus vulgaris L

Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Black Valentine when sprayed with Corexit dispersants shows a rapid inhibition of photosynthesis. The plant retains the ability to translocate fixed carbon, and this involves mobilising previously fixed carbon in the sprayed leaf or the repartitioning of carbon from unsprayed regions of the plant towards the growing sink regions. The ability to maintain carbon translocation while photosynthesis is declining maximises the regrowth potential of the plant.     

Effects of an oil spill on leafpack-inhabiting macroinvertebrates in the Chariton River, Missouri

Artificial leaf packs were used to determine the effects of an oil spill on stream macroinvertebrate communities in the Chariton River, Missouri. Plastic mesh leaf retainers with approximately 10 g of leaves from five tree species were deployed at five sites (two upstream of the spill and three downstream) immediately after the spill and one year later. Four macroinvertebrate species dominating the community at upstream sites were virtually eliminated below the spill, including the stonefly Isoperla bilineata, the caddisfly Potamyia flava, the midge Thienemanniella xena, and blackfly larvae (Simulium sp.). Density of collector and shredder functional groups, and number of shredder taxa differed between upstream sites and the two furthest downstream sites during the 1990 sample period (Kruskal-Wallis w/Bonferroni paired comparisons, experiment wise error rate = 0.05). With one exception, no differences between sites were detected in the 1991-1992 sample period, indicating that the benthic community had at least partially recovered from the oil spill after one year. The odds of obtaining a sample with a small abundance of shredders (abundance < median) in 1990 was significantly greater downstream of the spill than upstream, and the odds of obtaining a sample with a small abundance of shredders at downstream sites was greater in 1990 than in 1991-1992. A similar pattern was observed in abundance and taxa richness of the collector functional group. No significant differences between the two sampling periods were detected at upstream sites. Observed effects appeared to be associated with oil sorption and substrate coating, creating conditions unsuitable for successful colonization.