Research Paper on Oil Spills and Their Impact on Freshwater Systems

Introduction

In an article by Sumeep Bath (2017) on Exploring What Oil Spills Do to Fresh Water, he evaluates the impacts of oil spills on freshwaters. According to the author, people would be surprised to realize that they know very little about what happens to freshwater systems when oil spills occur. New research conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) opts to come up with these answers. The article suggests that over the years, many researches have based their findings on the impact of oil spills on the marine environment. However, the leading and authorized sources, such as the National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada, have discovered gaps in our knowledge on the effects of the oil spill of freshwaters. Statistically, there are 3.9 million kilometers of oil and gas pipelines in the United States and 840,000 kilometers in Canada (Bath, 2017). Thus, Bath feels that the impacts of oil spills on freshwaters and its environs still remain uncertain given the many existing inland pipelines adjacent to freshwaters. Additionally, the author suggests that many of the strategies for cleaning up oil spills were meant for the oceans, which have salty water, which is another mystery in regards to freshwaters.

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However, Bath thinks that the new experiments conducted by the International System for Sustainable Development will clear out the air on the issue. To begin with, a pilot study using land-based micro-organisms is already underway to evaluate the physical and chemical behavior of freshwaters. According to the author, the research is going through a vigorous review process to ensure that the results will be as useful as possible. The lakes carrying out the experiments would also need to be protected. International System for Sustainable Development promises to limit all model oil spills and only applied to isolated areas of the Ela Lake. Absorbent booms would also be installed around the isolated areas in the bid to ensure that there are no leakages.

In another article by Zhu, Shang, Sun, Li, Wei, and Zhu (2013) on Oil spill cleanup from seawater by carbon nanotube, sponges generally focus on the use of nanotube sponges for seawater oil spill cleanup. According to the article, a number of oil spills have occurred around the world that have caused serious environmental problems(Zhu, Shang, Sun, Li, Wei, & Zhu, 2013). The main causes are viewed to be occasional accidents as a result of natural events, oil rig grilling, the collision of supertankers, or war. The author suggests that the oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 is one of the most severe oil spillages that has ever occurred in the country, causing severe damage to the marine ecological environment. Fortunately, there are many methods of cleaning up oceans and seas, which are mainly composed of salty water ranging from physical, bioremediation, and chemical methods.

In the research, absorption of oil slicks from water using woolen felt, polypropylene fibers, hydrophobicity of carbon nanotube, and sorption capacity sponges were evaluated. The tested pollutant was a mixture of crude oil and diesel at a density of 0.08 and a ratio of 8:1. The two materials were mixed since oil cannot spread evenly on due to its high density. Furthermore, adding a considerable amount of diesel can significantly assist in forming a film on the seawater. However, the author suggests that although the technology exists, it is still undergoing tests. Since the sponges are hydrophobic, they would be placed on oil pollution sites. After they have absorbed the crude oil, the sponges would then be collected by magnets placed on the ship. The oil could be retrieved from the sponges and later used as energy to power the facility. It is also important to monitor the lifespan of the sponges so that when they are nearing the end, the oil retrieved from the sponges can be burnt within the sponges to preserve the sponges. The authors feel that this is the most effective way of cleaning up oil in the sea since it does not have any effect on the environment.

The two articles present informative information about oil clean -up's in different waters. Even though the article by Bath (2017) does not provide the exact methods to be used in freshwater lakes, it is surprising that we know very little about what happens to freshwater systems when oil spills occur. However, h provides insights into the experiments that are underway that can be used to determine the effects of oil spills on freshwaters. On the other hand, I feel that Zhu, Shang, Sun, Li, Wei, and Zhu (2013) provide great insight into the topic. It is also good to note the research provides one of the most effective ways of cleaning up oil in the sea since it does not have any effect on the environment (Zhu, Shang, Sun, Li, Wei, & Zhu, 2013).

As suggested in the article, oil spills at different waters would have different impacts. In most cases, oil tends to float. However, even though oil floats on salty water, it does not mean that it would float at the same rate as in moving rivers. Oil generally floats on water because water is denser than oil. Additionally, the saltier the water, the denser the water. This implies that freshwater is less dense than salty water. Light oils such as diesel would float on both freshwaters and salty waters. Contrary, heavy oils would sink in freshwaters such as in moving rivers like the occurrence in Kalamazoo River in 2010 when an Enbridge pipeline leaked oil sands into the river. The heavier components of the oil sank down the river while the lighter components evaporated into the air. The events brought up new challenges as responders would need the come up with new cleanup methods that could be able to access the oil. Spills like this cause severe environmental problems at the same time, making it difficult to clean up. According to Zhu, Shang, Sun, Li, Wei, and Zhu (2013), only three gallons of oil can spread up to two acres of the sea's surface. With that in mind, it is estimated that oceans are exposed to more than 100,000 gallons each day (Zhu, Shang, Sun, Li, Wei, & Zhu, 2013).

Water and oil do not mix as we know from basic science. It is also evident that it is greasy and sticky, which makes it hard to clean up. Starting from the chemical compositions of the two, the water molecule is made up of one oxygen atom and two hydrogen atoms. Such a molecular structure gives water polarity, which implies that it has the capacity to attract other atoms since the endpoints of each hydrogen atom are positively charged. The oxygen atom's ends are negatively charged, which means that the negative end of the water molecule will connect with the positive end of other molecules. On the other side, oil is non-polar. This generally means that the molecules are balanced with equal electrical particles. Water and oil can't mix because no matter how much you stir the mixture, their particles cannot connect. Oil is made up of non-polar molecules, which means that they cannot stick like water molecules. Additionally, oil is made up of complex hydrogen and oxygen molecules, which are thick and heavy, but they are spread further apart. This is one of the main reasons why it has a low density; at the same time, it is slippery like the polar molecules of water.

An experiment to determine the different density between water and oil is barely simple. Fill a plastic cup with water then add a few drops of cooking oil. Observe what happens when you start pouring the mixture slowly. The oil would often float on top of the water even if you were to start releasing the mixture from the bottom. The oil would also stick together, making a puddle if you start pouring the mixture. When you look closely, you will notice tiny droplets of oil floating on the surface. All these oil traces form an oil slick, which is created when most of the oil is released, making it spread over a large surface. This is the same case in oceans where winds and waves spread the oil on the surface of the water. Another experiment to evaluate the different densities of water and oil. Find materials that have absorbent properties such as laundry hint, cotton ball, or paper towel, which can soak up the oil. Put one of the absorbent material into a water container and try moving it to soak the water. Then contain the oil by blocking a small area with several pieces of the material. Once most of the oil is soaked up, you can get rid of the absorbent material then pour the water.

Conclusion

In summation, in real since, oil spills are cleaned up from oceans by pushing in floating objects into the water then pushed by boats to help soak up the oil. The soaks are filled with an absorbent material that can soak up a lot of oil even though they are also lightweight. The mini-experiment is employed to clean up oceans even though they are difficult to control so that they move to the area where the oil is. However, impacts of oil spills on freshwaters and its environs still remain uncertain given the many existing inland pipelines adjacent to freshwaters. Additionally, many of the strategies for cleaning up oil spills were meant for the oceans, which have salty water, which is another mystery in regards to freshwaters.

References

Bath, S. (2017, December). Exploring What Oil Spills Do to Fresh Water. Retrieved from https://www.iisd.org/blog/exploring-what-oil-spills-do-fresh-water.

Zhu, K., Shang, Y. Y., Sun, P. Z., Li, Z., Li, X. M., Wei, J. Q., ... & Zhu, H. W. (2013). Oil spill cleanup from sea water by carbon nanotube sponges. Frontiers of Materials Science, 7(2), 170-176.