2006-12-06 08:17:14 · 11 answers · asked by mozzarella_24 2 in Environment
Added info: The oil spill occurs in a marine environment.
2006-12-08 12:45:45 · update #1
Bioremediation and oil skimming are out of question. Could anyone recommend a good material that could "suck in" or absorb oil spilled in the ocean?
2006-12-08 16:50:12 · update #2
It depends on the type of oil, how much oil, and where the spill occurs. Spills on land can be soaked up cheaply and quickly with sand or clay. Heavy crude oil is a nightmare - it forms tar balls that stick to things, it doesn't always float very well, and it is not readily absorbed. So a coarse material that provides a large amount of surface area to adhere to, such as straw, is a good approach for heavy crude oil, but overall, absorbents don't do very well with this type of oil. Light crude oils spread quickly, but it is also readily absorbed. Gigantic booms and pads of the material that disposable diapers are made from can contain and clean up a small spill of light crude in still water in a few hours. If the spill is large, rolls of diaper material are impractical, so any dry plant material that stays floating and absorbs oil will work - straw, cellulose, shredded newspaper, peat moss, etc. I don't know for sure, but I think peat moss holds up and stays floating the longest, but cellulose can be manufactured with different additives that could give it all sorts of properties that improve its performance.
2006-12-07 04:14:34 · answer #1 · answered by formerly_bob 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well a detergent or non-polar solvent would disolve it,
but to get rid of oils spills it's best to get bacteria which degrade it and enrich for them by aerating and supplying nitrogen; this is called bioremediation
2006-12-06 08:21:03 · answer #2 · answered by Forest Fest 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
McDonalds french fries or a few actors from the movie Grease would work...but sand, cat litter, and paper towels are some other alternatives.
2006-12-13 10:42:37 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The only thing I can think of is Tide. The stuff you clean your cloths in can cut through most oils.
2006-12-13 12:16:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
whilst my son poured valve oil into the fish tank, I used newspaper strips to soak the oil up. I dragged them around the floor, then picked them up. It took various, yet they in no way soaked up any water, purely oil.
2016-10-17 22:03:59 · answer #5 · answered by shade 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Endangered wildlife - the fluffier the better for soaking up all that oil
2006-12-06 08:21:38 · answer #6 · answered by sporritt 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
hair in the net, thats what we are doing in the philippines. cheap and easier.
2006-12-14 00:33:54 · answer #7 · answered by chantal 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
cat litter works the best.
2006-12-13 11:12:17 · answer #8 · answered by sid8084 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
there a lot of things that you can use but the simpliest would be HAIR...it is also very common.. i mean, do you have hair? i have, he has, she has, they hav.....
2006-12-06 12:46:51 · answer #9 · answered by Philip 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sawdust
2006-12-06 08:38:33 · answer #10 · answered by Old man wrench 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋