Oil Spill Clean Up

 By: Jessica Rodriguez

Oil spills can harm shorelines, animals, ocean water and floors. Oil is toxic to fish embryos and their developmental stages are sensitive to oil exposure and about 100% of them die when exposed to it. The reduction of fish population has an impact on the food source for people and all marine life. SQT (Sediment quality triad), are three ways to determine treatment for animals that live in ocean waters and floors that are at risk of harmful chemicals, potential toxic affects to rocks and sediments that are sensitive to fuel chemicals, and health of all marine life. There are biological and physical treatments to help clean up oil spills. Physical treatment of hot water and high-pressure flushing resulted in the maximum removal of oils by (93%). Fertilizer, chemical agents, stimulants, and bacterial growth are examples of biological treatments that improved environment recovery and removal of oil by (66%). It has been found there are bacteria such as Dietzia sp. and Rosevarius sp. that grow in marine environments that can help break down oil residues from oil spills. Together, biological treatments and promoting the growth of these bacteria have helped to reduce residual oil. More research is required to decide between biological and physical remediation, as well as whether applying bacteria capable of breakdown of oil is required for an oil spill response.

The figure shows SQT and physical & chemical treatment techniques in oil spills. The figure is from Kim et al. (2022)

Original article: 

Kim, Taewoo, et al. "Best available technique for the recovery of marine benthic communites in a gravel shore after the oil spill: A mesocosm-based sediment triad assessment," Elsevier (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128945.