In June of 1971, EPA awarded five research contracts designed to develop efficient unit operations for the removal of floating oil with the aid of sorbent materials. Each contract considered the following basic unit operations:

  1. Sorbent Broadcasting

  2. Oil-Sorbent Harvesting

  3. Oil-Sorbent Separation

  4. Vessel or Platform Configuration

  5. Oil Storage or Disposal

  6. Sorbent Reuse and/or Disposal

Of the five contracts awarded, one involved the utilization of material handling systems for oil recovery use, one consisted of a study optimizing the broadcasting and harvesting of sorbents, one involved the in situ generation of foamed sorbent material, and two involved the use of specially designed platforms for the unit operations under consideration.

Analysis of the research results indicate that mechanical sorbent systems can be used efficiently and effectively to recover spilled oil Recovery efficiencies better than 90 percent can be expected. Within design limitations, wave action will have little effect on oil-sorbent recovery. In practice, wave action actually increases oil removal rates by bringing the oil into more intimate contact with the sorbent. Wind will produce detrimental effects on the broadcasting unit operation. However, these effects can be minimized by proper field operating techniques.

This paper evaluates the unit operations developed by the five contractors and discusses the additional work required for prototype system development.

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Pediatric Pharmacy Advocacy Group
1973