An approach to evaluate the application of the vulnerability index for oil spills in tropical Red Sea environments

The Egyptian national marine oil pollution contingency plan was urgently initiated after the Nabila oil spill in 1982, to provide an estimate of its environmental effects on the Egyptian Red Sea coastal areas and to determine geomorphological features and cuastal processes, together with physical, chemical and biological baseline data for this tropical environment.The ‘Vulnerability Index’ (VI) was applied to evaluate and calibrate the effect of the Nabila oil spill on the Egyptian Red Sea Coastal area. A detailed in situ coastal survey was conducted during two visits in November 1982 and May 1983 to 80 shore sites from Suez to Ras Banas to monitor the oil pollution and to apply the ‘Vulnerability Index’. A comparative assessment of the index over time by comparing it with a quick ground inspection in November 1993 to some sites to evaluate the applicability of this index for oil spills in such environments. In addition, the physical effects of fresh and weathered crude oil and/with dispersant on water filtration by different beaches were preliminary studied.The geomorphological/Vulnerability Index results show that most of the Egyptian Red Sea coastal environments have medium to high vulnerability to immediate and medium term oil spill damage. The oil pollution spread estimated to be 250 km south of the oil spill and about 200 km north of it. The quantity of oil along the shoreline was reduced by about 60% due to natural and authorities clean up. The third survey after 11 years showed that the VI could be used as a predictive tool for assessment of oil spill effects on such tropical environments.     

Development of a National Marine Oil Transportation System Model

This paper presents the development of a model of the marine oil transportation in the United States. NMOTSM, the National Marine Oil Transportation System Model, is a high-level strategic decision-making tool that will be used to systematically identify causes of oil spills and prioritize oil pollution R and D needs for prevention and response. Three distinct phases in the analysis are identified, namely the formulation of the oil transport model, the risk and safety performance assessment and the evaluation of potential prevention, and response measures and approaches.     

Australia's National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances – Overview and Current Issues

Australia's National Plan to Combat Pollution of the Sea by Oil and Other Noxious and Hazardous Substances (the National Plan) has operated since 1973. The objectives of the National Plan are based on Australia's obligations as a signatory to the International Convention on Oil Pollution Preparedness, Response and Co-operation 1990 and a responsibility to protect natural and artificial (man made) environments from the adverse effects of oil pollution and minimise those effects where protection is not possible.The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) is the managing agency of the National Plan, working together with the States and Northern Territory governments, other Commonwealth agencies, ports, and the shipping, oil and exploration industries, to maximise Australia's marine pollution response capability.The 1990s have been a period of significant change for oil spill response arrangements in Australia. The National Plan was extended in 1998 to cover chemical spills and is currently in the process of implementing the oil spill response incident control system (OSRICS). A fixed wing aerial dispersant spraying capability was implemented in 1996 and a research and development program has been put in place. The development of a computer-based National Oil Spill Response Atlas was a major project completed during 1999.     

Obtaining Approvals for Oil and Gas Projects in Shallow Water Marine Areas in Western Australia using an Environmental Risk Assessment Framework

The oil and gas industry is of major economic importance to the state of Western Australia. The majority of its activities are offshore, some occurring in shallow marine areas adjacent to sensitive resources such as coral reefs and mangroves. One of the main issues for the oil and gas industry is continued access to marine acreage. Increasing public concern about the environmental protection of the coastal and marine environment has increased the focus on the various users. This has resulted in the development of statutory and administrative processes, more stringent environmental assessment and operating conditions, and greater scrutiny on the issue of access of proposals to some areas. Detailed environmental assessment and management plans are generated for all drilling and development projects. An environmental risk assessment approach utilising computer modelling, habitat mapping, research and monitoring is used to evaluate the risk of a project on adjacent resources and to obtain government approval. The Wonnich appraisal drilling program, which consisted of two wells drilled from the same surface location situated one kilometre away from an area of high conservation value, will be used as a case study of the risk assessment procedure used by one oil and gas company.     

Oil/Suspended Particulate Material Interactions and Sedimentation

The interactions of physically dispersed oil droplets with suspended particulate material (SPM) can be important for the transport of bulk quantities of spilled crude oil and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) to subtidal sediments. The literature regarding oil/SPM interactions is reviewed, and results from whole-oil droplet/SPM interaction kinetics and pure-component (Prudhoe Bay crude oil distillate cut) equilibrium partitioning experiments are presented. The effects of oil type, SPM characteristics, and salinity on the interaction rates are examined, and the importance of whole-oil droplet/SPM interactions on particle agglomeration and settling behavior are discussed. Whole-oil droplet/SPM interactions are retarded as oil droplet dispersion into the water column is inhibited by oil viscosity increases due to evaporation weathering and water-in-oil emulsification. Compared to whole oil droplet/SPM interactions, dissolved-component/SPM adsorption is not as significant for transport of individual components to sediments. The information presented in this paper can be used to augment computer-based models designed to predict oil-spill trajectories, oil-weathering behavior, and spilled oil impacts to the marine environment.     

石油产品装卸过程中的油气回收技术

介绍了石油产品装卸过程产生的油气污染及其治理方法、工艺过程与技术特点。结合中国石化股份有限公司长岭分公司石油产品装卸过程产生的油气污染情况,对油气回收方案的选择、回收工艺及油品回收情况与经济效益进行了论述。     

Marine Debris &; Plastics: Environmental Concerns,Sources, Impacts and Solutions

Marine debris (marine litter) is one of the most pervasive and solvable pollution problems plaguing the world’s oceans and waterways. Nets, food wrappers, cigarette filters, bottles, resin pellets, and other debris items can have serious impacts on wildlife, habitat, and human safety. Successful management of the problem requires a comprehensive understanding of both marine debris and human behavior. Knowledge is key for consumers to make appropriate choices when it comes to using and disposing of waste items. Education and outreach programs, strong laws and policies, and governmental and private enforcement are the building blocks for a successful marine pollution prevention initiative. The plastic industry also has a role to play in educating its employees and customers, and searching for technological mitigation strategies.     

Evaluation of environmental pollution and possible management options of heavy oil fly ash

Due to the presence of toxic metals, dumping of heavy oil fly ash (HOFA) is causing ever-growing environmental problem including the pollution of air, water and soil. The present study investigates the possible environmental impacts associated with the land disposal of HOFA generated in the power plant. Different modeling and laboratory analysis were integrated to address the real environmental problems. Leaching behavior of heavy metals within the HOFA were investigated by laboratory batch leaching tests, which confirmed that most of the toxic elements in the HOFA can easily leach into the environment with rain water. The level of atmospheric dust surrounding a HOFA dumping site was predicted using the Industrial Source Complex (ISC3) air dispersion model, and the results indicated that the dumping of HOFA could be a potential hazard for local air quality. The study also revealed different reuse options of HOFA. The characteristic analysis confirmed HOFA can be used as a natural adsorbent to remove pollutants from wastewater or as soil stabilizing material by blending with cement.     

纯碱生产废水的综合治理

介绍了纯碱生产过程中产生的蒸氨废清液和生产下水的综合治理情况。将废清液晒盐回收ＮａＣｌ,然后从母液中回收ＣａＣｌ２。在雨季等情况下对废清液的治理措施是,将其两次兑海水,使其各项指标达到国家排放标准。     

Photo-oxidation and Photo-toxicity of Crude and Refined Oils

The fate and effects of an oil spill are effected by solar radiation through the action of photo-oxidation and photo-toxicity. Photo-oxidation, an important process in the weathering of oil, produces a variety of oxidized compounds, including aliphatic and aromatic ketones, aldehydes, carboxylic acids, fatty acids, esters, epoxides, sulfoxides, sulfones, phenols, anhydrides, quinones and aliphatic and aromatic alcohols. Some of these compounds contribute to the marine biota toxicity observed after an oil spill. Photo-toxicity occurs when uptake of certain petroleum compounds, e.g. certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and benzothiophenes, is followed by solar exposure which results in much greater toxicity than after dark uptake. The mechanism of PAH photo-toxicity includes absorbance of solar radiation by the PAH which produces a free radical and this free radical in turn reacts with oxygen to produce reactive oxygen species that can damage DNA and other cellular macromolecules. While most studies on photo-toxicity have been carried out in the laboratory, there are studies showing that water from an oil spill is photo-toxic to bivalve embryos for at least a few days after the spill. Other studies have found that oil contaminated sediments are photo-toxic to several marine invertebrates. More studies are required to determine if marine fauna at an oil spill site are effected by the action of photo-toxicity and photo-oxidation.     

South Arne Field Development: An Environmental Impact Assessment of Oil Spills

The South Arne field being developed by Amerada Hess A/S is located in 60 m water depth approximately 200 km from the Danish mainland, in block 5604/29 of the Danish sector of the North Sea.As part of the development of the field, a comprehensive environmental impact assessment has been carried out, including the assessment of the impact from oil spills. The Danish authorities required that a ‘worst case’ oil spill be chosen as the basis for the assessment on birds and aquatic organisms including plankton, fish eggs and larvae and benthos.A well blow-out at the surface was chosen as the worst case for the impact on birds, and a seabed blow-out for aquatic organisms.The oil spill modelling was carried out with the DEEPBLOW, SLIKMAP and OSCAR models from SINTEF. The modelling identified environmentally sensitive areas which could potentially be influenced by an oil spill. These included the Dogger Bank, western Skagerrak, south-western Norwegian Trench, the eastern German Bight and the Wadden Sea.Historical meteorological and hydrodynamic scenarios were chosen from a long period of records to ensure that the plume passed through the environmentally sensitive resource areas.For birds, a scan of the literature and available databases was made to determine the numbers and species of birds in the areas swept by the surface slick, the number of fatalities was estimated and finally the recovery time for each species population was estimated.The impact on aquatic organisms was estimated using the predicted environmental concentration/predicted no effect concentration (PEC/PNEC) method of the CHARM model. This method is normally applied to continuous discharges, but here has been used to estimate the impact of a transient pollution cloud resulting from an oil spill.     

The Roles of Photooxidation and Biodegradation in Long-term Weathering of Crude and Heavy Fuel Oils

Although spilled oil is subject to a range of natural processes, only combustion, photooxidation and biodegradation destroy hydrocarbons and remove them from the biosphere. We present laboratory data that demonstrate the molecular preferences of these processes, and then examine some oil residues collected from previously documented releases to confirm the important roles that these processes play in removing spilled oil from both marine and terrestrial environments.     

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990: A Decade Later

Analysis of oil spills data confirms that accidental oil spills are natural phenomenon and that there is a relationship between accidental oil spills and variables like vessel size, vessel type, time and region of spill. The volume of oil spilled bears relationship with the volume of petroleum imports and domestic movement of petroleum and proportion of large oil spills. Finally, navigational risk increases with increase in marine traffic and is also determined by variables like hydrographic and meteorological conditions, water configuration, maneuvering space, obstructions and nuisance vessels. The Oil Pollution Act, 1990 (OPA 90) was passed by the US Congress in the aftermath of 11 million gallon spill of crude oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska. The objective of OPA 90 was to minimize marine casualties and oil spills by addressing preventive, protective, deterrent and performance aspects of accidental oil spills. The arm of various regulations like double-hull tankers and vessel response plans extended to both US flagged and foreign-flagged tank vessels. The cost–benefit analysis of major regulations shows that the estimated costs exceed estimated benefits. We observe from USCG data on oil spills by size, by vessel type, Coast guard district and type of petroleum product that there have been significant reductions in the number and the quantity of oil spills. Our regression results show that the quantity of oil spilled increases with increase in oil imports but increases at a decreasing rate. The quantity of oil spilled decreases with increases in the domestic oil movements. Furthermore, percent of oil spills larger than 10,000 gallons also increases the potential quantity of oil spilled. OPA 90 has been a deterrent to accidental oil spills but the finding is not conclusive.     

Oil and water separation in marine oil spill clean-up operations

This paper discusses the changes in spilled oil properties over time and how these changes affect differential density separation. It presents methods to improve differential density, and operational effectiveness when oil-water separation is incorporated in a recovery system. Separators function because of the difference in density between oil and seawater. As an oil weathers this difference decreases, because the oil density increases as the lighter components evaporate. The density also increases as the oil incorporates water droplets to form a water-in-oil emulsion. These changes occur simultaneously during weathering and reduce the effectiveness of separators. Today, the state-of-the-art technologies have limited capabilities for separating spilled marine oil that has weathered.For separation of emulsified water in an emulsion, the viscosity of the oil will have a significant impact on drag forces, reducing the effect of gravity or centrifugal separation. Since water content in an emulsion greatly increases the clean up volume (which can contain as much as two to five times as much water as the volume of recovered oil), it is equally important to remove water from an emulsion as to remove free water recovered owing to low skimmer effectiveness. Removal of both free water and water from an emulsion, has the potential to increase effective skimming time, recovery effectiveness and capacity, and facilitate waste handling and disposal. Therefore, effective oil and water separation in marine oil spill clean-up operations may be a more critical process than credited because it can mean that fewer resources are needed to clean up an oil spill with subsequent effects on capital investment and basic stand-by and operating costs for a spill response organization.A large increase in continuous skimming time and recovery has been demonstrated for total water (free and emulsified water) separation. Assuming a 200 m³ storage tank, 100 m³ h⁻¹ skimmer capacity, 25% skimmer effectiveness, and 80% water content in the emulsion, the time of continuous operation (before discharge of oil residue is needed), increases from 2 to 40 h and recovery of oil residue from 10 to 200 m³.Use of emulsion breakers to enhance and accelerate the separation process may, in some cases, be a rapid and cost effective method to separate crude oil emulsions. Decrease of water content in an emulsion, by heating or use of emulsion breakers and subsequent reduction in viscosity, may improve pumpability, reduce transfer and discharge time, and can reduce oily waste handling, and disposal costs by a factor of 10. However, effective use of emulsion breakers is dependant on the effectiveness of the product, oil properties, application methods and time of application after a spill.     

Pseudomonas sp. (Strain 10–1B): A potential inoculum candidate for green and sustainable remediation

Soil pollution caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a consequence of various industrial processes which destabilizes the ecosystem. Bioremediation by bacteria is a cost‐effective and environmentally safe solution for reducing or eliminating pollutants in soils. In the present study, we artificially polluted agricultural soil with used automobile engine oil with a high PAH content and then isolated bacteria from the soil after 10 weeks. Pseudomonas sp. strain 10–1B was isolated from the bacterial community that endured this artificial pollution. We sequenced its genomic DNA on Illumina MiSeq sequencer and evaluated its ability to solubilize phosphate, fix atmospheric nitrogen, and produce indoleacetic acid, in vitro, to ascertain its potential for contribution to soil fertility. Its genome annotation predicted several dioxygenases, reductases, ferredoxin, and Rieske proteins important in the ring hydroxylation initiating PAH degradation. The strain was positive for the soil fertility attributes evaluated. Such combination of attributes is important for any potential bacterium partaking in sustainable bioremediation of PAH‐polluted soil.     

Long-term Environmental Impact of Oil Spills

Oil contamination may persist in the marine environment for many years after an oil spill and, in exceptional cases such as salt marshes and mangrove swamps, the effects may be measurable for decades after the event. However, in most cases, environmental recovery is relatively swift and is complete within 2–10 years. Where oil has been eliminated from the scene, the long-term environmental impacts are generally confined to community structure anomalies that persist because of the longevity of the component species.     

Modelling Change in Ground Vegetation Response to Acid and Nitrogen Pollution, Climate Change and Forest Management at in Sweden 1500–2100 a.d.

The ForSAFE model, designed for modelling biogeochemical cycles (water, acidity, base cation, nitrogen and carbon) in terrestrial ecosystems, was modified with a vegetation response module (VEG), incorporating the effects of: nitrogen pollution, acidification, soil moisture, temperature, wind chill exposure, light and shading by trees, grazing by animals, competition between plants, above ground for light and below ground for water and nutrients. The model calculates the response of number ground vegetation plant groups. The integrated model was tested and validated at integrated level II forest monitoring sites across Sweden, four have been shown here, and used to assess the effect of acidification and nitrogen pollution in relation to factors such as climate change, forest management and changing grazing pressure. The response functions have been derived from single-factor experiments and integrated through the model structure for use on whole systems. The tests with the model suggest that the ground vegetation composition is reasonably well predicted, that much research remains before the model is fully tested and operational, and that the model may serve as a tool for assessing impacts of climate change, acid rain and forest management on plant biodiversity in forested areas.     

国内外煤化工行业污染物排放标准研究及启示

系统分析了煤化工行业的产排污情况,梳理了国内外相关排放标准。结果表明:国内仅焦化等部分工序有行业排放标准,其余工序目前执行水或大气的综合排放标准,其污染物项目不能全面反映煤化工行业的污染特征,急需制定煤化工行业污染物排放标准;国外相关标准情况与国内类似,无直接借鉴意义。建议:合理界定煤化工排放标准的适用范围,与其他排放标准协调配套,控制整个行业的污染物排放;针对大气污染物,明确各排放口的特征污染物,结合综合指标和高毒性物质指标进行挥发性有机物的排放控制;针对水污染物,引入综合毒性指标以有效控制废水中有毒有害污染物排放的环境风险。     

Pyrolysis and dehalogenation of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE): A review

Plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) have been an important environmental problem because these plastics commonly contain toxic halogenated flame retardants which may cause serious environmental pollution, especially the formation of carcinogenic substances polybrominated dibenzo dioxins/furans (PBDD/Fs), during treat process of these plastics. Pyrolysis has been proposed as a viable processing route for recycling the organic compounds in WEEE plastics into fuels and chemical feedstock. However, dehalogenation procedures are also necessary during treat process, because the oils collected in single pyrolysis process may contain numerous halogenated organic compounds, which would detrimentally impact the reuse of these pyrolysis oils. Currently, dehalogenation has become a significant topic in recycling of WEEE plastics by pyrolysis. In order to fulfill the better resource utilization of the WEEE plastics, the compositions, characteristics and dehalogenation methods during the pyrolysis recycling process of WEEE plastics were reviewed in this paper. Dehalogenation and the decomposition or pyrolysis of WEEE plastics can be carried out simultaneously or successively. It could be ‘dehalogenating prior to pyrolysing plastics’, ‘performing dehalogenation and pyrolysis at the same time’ or ‘pyrolysing plastics first then upgrading pyrolysis oils’. The first strategy essentially is the two-stage pyrolysis with the release of halogen hydrides at low pyrolysis temperature region which is separate from the decomposition of polymer matrixes, thus obtaining halogenated free oil products. The second strategy is the most common method. Zeolite or other type of catalyst can be used in the pyrolysis process for removing organohalogens. The third strategy separate pyrolysis and dehalogenation of WEEE plastics, which can, to some degree, avoid the problem of oil value decline due to the use of catalyst, but obviously, this strategy may increase the cost of whole recycling process.     

Waste management in Copenhagen: Principles and trends

The increase in volumes of waste, and the difficulties of finding suitable locations for landfill sites within the borders of Copenhagen municipality, along with the need for treatment of oil and chemical waste, resulted in the erection in the early 1970s of two large waste-to-energy plants and a large centralized plant for the treatment of oil and chemical waste. Ten years later, however, it became evident that the then structure was not sufficient to face rapidly emerging problems. A number of pollution cases in Denmark which emerged during the early 1980s, proved that oil and chemical waste was being transported illegally to landfills instead of being disposed of in compliance with the obligatory system, thus becoming a threat to groundwater and drinking water supplies in Copenhagen. At the same time, waste-to-energy plants were facing pollution problems such as the emission of dioxin and large quantities of hydrochloric acid, which contribute to acidification and forest death.As a response to the increasing problems in relation to both waste incineration and deposits, new regulations from the Ministry of the Environment allowed future sanitary landfills to be located only near the coast or in areas documented to be composed of an impermeable layer of clay. New regulation also defined conditions for flue gas cleansing. However, it was clear that pollution problems combined with increases in volumes of waste called for a much firmer administration and a stronger influence on the waste flow. From February 1989 the municipalities have undertaken the obligation to assign all waste producers the means to dispose of their waste. How Copenhagen municipality has solved the problems is discussed.