#StainedOceans: Why Oil Spill Cleanup is Necessary

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Oil spills resulting from faulty tankers, pipelines, or offshore oil platforms frequently result in decades of immediate and long-term environmental degradation. Here are some of the most notable regions of harm to the atmosphere caused by the spills.

How do oil spills normally occur and what are their effects on the environment? 

In the aquatic world, oil spills are referred to as the leakage of fuel into the sea. One of the most prevalent causes of oil leaks is human negligence. Oil spills also occur during procedures such as seabed exploration, oil refining, oil storage and transportation. The most documented and recent oil spill tragedy was triggered because of seabed drilling.

An oil spill has devastating consequences on oceans, aquatic ecosystems, and human civilization as a whole. The impact depends on the type of oil that has spilled, spill location and the scale of the spill.  

It is always recommended to concentrate on avoiding oil spills beforehand than on controlling the damage. However, after these oil leaks have occurred, there are several ways to minimize and contain the damage using special clean up equipment. 

How oil spills get treated after they happen?

There are many approaches for oil spill recovery and oil spill response. Usually, the cleanup depends on the kind of spill, the environment in which it exists, and the extent of the spill. Some of the most processes are as follows:

1. Oil booms
2. Burning in-situ
3. Oil absorbents

Let’s explore each one to get an idea of these solutions:

Burning In-situ

This process, roughly translated into “burning on-site” means scorching the oil where the leak took place. If and when used, this technique has to be implemented rapidly, directly after the spill starts, in order to control it and restrict its distribution. While this can be an efficient way of containing oil leaks, due to poisonous gases from the combustion of oil, it is dangerous to the community.

Oil Booms

Oil booms are floating barriers mounted around the oil or around what is spilling the oil. One of the most well-known strategies for washing up and monitoring oil spills is the usage of oil booms. They are also one of the most widely used oil spill recovery tactics. In different places where an oil leak could occur, different styles, forms, and sizes of oil booms are built to be used. 

Oil absorbents

Oil absorbents are types of sponges and other porous materials that are lined up on the top of the spill zone. By simply absorbing the oil from the surface on which it propagates, these materials are used to clear up the leak.

Oil cleanup advantages

Let’s now quickly look at the advantages of effective oil spill cleanup:

• First and foremost, it improves ecological responsibility.
• Elimination of oil from produced water and wastewater allows industries to use safer operations and eliminate water contaminants.
• Saving on total use and usage of water.
• Limiting or reducing the need to use excessive additives for water treatment.
• Improvement of the capacity to utilize and/or reuse skimmed oil.
• Helping to fix oil-related environmental pollutants. 
• Assistance in meeting existing environmental requirements and legislation, such as the reduction in wastewater discharge of traditional pollutants (EPA) and other industry-specific regulations.

Final Thoughts

Oil spills have risen in recent years due to the pace at which oil is extracted and transported across the globe. Human negligence can be rampant in the oceans and it is vital to have techniques that perform well during disaster management.

We believe stricter laws around the transportation and handling of oil, as well as penalties and punishments for environmental damage along with technological advancements in the oil spill cleanup industry, will be the solution to save the oceans and the environment.