Sustainable Spill Response

Is it possible to increase effectiveness of spill containment by at least 50 percent, increase mechanical recovery by 50 percent effectiveness, decrease waste generation in recovery operations by greater than 50 percent, and decrease overall response cost by greater than 20 percent—all while utilizing advanced sustainable technologies and a sustainable spill response framework that enhances the sustainable profile of spill operations?

On the surface this would appear as an almost impossible set of goals to achieve given the existing and continual challenges faced in oil spill response operations. It is widely documented that oil spill containment technologies and oil spill recovery technologies are not effective across the wide range of environmental conditions and response requirements during spill response. In addition, there was a hard lesson learned about the inadequacy of response technologies and methods during the 2010 Macondo spill in the Gulf of Mexico, USA, also known as the Deepwater Horizon spill.

To the credit of the spill response community, there has been extensive research and assessments of technologies and response procedures conducted following the 2010 Macondo spill. This unprecedented wealth of studies and reports, along with many studies and reports by the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA), American Petroleum Institute (API), International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP), U.S Coast Guard (USCG), and a host of associated organizations, were utilized for an in-depth understanding of the primary unresolved or major challenges of spill response operations and technologies. There were a set of seven primary challenges identified in research and assessment reports that included concerns over dispersants, containment boom equipment, mechanical recovery skimmer equipment, containment and recovery absorbents, shoreline protection barriers, planning and sharing of Oil Spill Removal Organizations (OSRO) resources, and waste generation during and after spill operations.

Of major concern was the lack of effectiveness of boom containment and skimmer recovery equipment. This paper assesses the challenges and concerns of traditional spill containment and recovery technologies to demonstrate how newly advanced sustainably produced, sustainably utilized technologies can allow and provide an affirmative yes to each of the questions posed at the outset of the introduction. It is possible to create incredible advancements in cost reduction, and spill response effectiveness and efficiency during oil spill response. This paper demonstrates precisely how utilization of sustainable technologies applied within a sustainable framework can create a leap forward in spill response.

This paper first reveals problems and failures associated with boom containment and mechanical recovery equipment, then presents two advanced sustainable technologies that resolve many of the containment and recovery challenges associated with traditional technologies. Results from the sustainable technologies, reusable absorbent, and oil-water separation filter technologies, are then assessed for applicability to resolve the failures of traditional equipment. Next, an introduction to the Sustainable Spill Response Framework is provided to make known how a new planning and assessment tool can help guide response efforts into sustainability by comparing traditional technologies’ effectiveness against desired effectiveness, and then assessing sustainable impact within a new response methodology and prioritization schedule that accelerates sustainable response capabilities and results. The focus of this paper is on the operational recovery phase of response that involves use of containment and recovery equipment. Additionally, the purpose of the paper is to allow the response community to understand how new technology and conceptual tools can enhance the capability for sustainable spill response. The conclusion section reveals next steps to execute and additional research that will advance sustainable spill response into a new paradigm.

This section summarizes the most important challenges associated with the primary equipment utilized during spill response containment and recovery on open water. The ineffectiveness and concerns outlined in numerous reports reveal an alarming methodology of applying technologies that do not produce appropriate, desired, or acceptable results.

It is necessary in all spills to contain the spill as effectively and as soon as possible to prevent further spread of spilled materials. Containment technology is primarily related to boom use. The significant challenges and failures of booms involve the inability of towing booms at high boat speeds during collection, in the form of current failure, entrainment failure, drainage failure (when oils seeps underneath the boom), splash-over failure (when wave action is too great), and damage of booms (from tension chain or cable failures due to towing force outside of boom parameters). Other limitation challenges include maintenance, transport time, logistics, and waste management (IOGP and IPIECA, 2015b).

Ninety percent of spill response cost occurs when oil reaches land. The last defense is shoreline protection. Challenges abound with shoreline protection because of the multitude of environments and the complexities of implementing various types of protection strategies that include moveable barriers or booms, and fixed barriers such as dikes or dams. Challenges include deployment time, durability, labor intensity, ineffectiveness with strong waves, frequent replacement, missing or buried equipment, waste management, monitoring, maintenance during spill event, and decontamination requirements after use (API, 2013).

Containment and mechanical equipment is widely recognized as a primary response technique. However, the effectiveness and efficiency of such equipment has been determined to be insufficient for various environments.

Recovery concerns:

• 10–20 percent effectiveness in recovering oil

• Ineffective in preventing shoreline impact due to low recovery rates

• Ineffective in larger spills

Effectiveness concerns:

• Inefficient and impractical for thin slicks

• Ineffective in inclement weather or high seas

• Inefficient and very slow

Additional concerns:

• Requires storage capability

• Labor and equipment intensive (IOGP, 2013)

Absorbent materials are used extensively in inland spills and as support for shoreline and containment/recovery operations. The primary challenges with absorbent or absorbent materials in any form is low absorption capacity and efficiency. Effectiveness of absorption is of paramount concern as well as failure of materials in inclement weather (IOGP and IPIECA, 2015c).

Waste is rampant throughout the response process and generation of waste is significant from a cost and potential environmental degradation standpoint. For offshore spills, the quantity of waste produced usually exceeds the spilled oil and represents 40–200 percent of spilt oil. Waste generated is based on the response techniques utilized. The waste generated from at-sea containment and recovery includes oily liquids and sorbent material. Major concerns are oil and water mixtures from equipment or recovery efforts, oiled materials such as sorbents and equipment, solid waste for landfills, and transportation and handling of all such waste (IOGP and IPIECA, 2014).

A set of sustainable technologies exist currently that are capable of providing solutions to the unresolved challenges of traditional spill containment and recovery technologies. Herein are summaries of advanced oil/water and water/oil filtration technology, as well as advanced reusable absorbent materials.

Filter technology works as oil in water separators or water in oil separators. The filter technology has superior capabilities to filter clean water from emulsified oil/water mixtures. Emulsified mixtures are separated on contact by filter material.

How it works

What would normally be categorized as absorbents are better described as reusable bio-based biodegradable oil/water separation materials. Materials absorb only oil by providing superior selective separation of oil from water.

How it works

Materials are both oleophilic (absorb oil) and hydrophobic (reject water). Materials are reusable, within the same operation and beyond, until a break in material happens. The limit to reusability is only a break or tear in the material body that has effect on it’s mechanical use. Engagement and recovery of thinly spread oils, as well as, oils of all types are possible because of the wicking action of materials to attract hydrocarbons into the body of the material. Materials can wring oil during operations and continue reusability at the same absorption rate for each use. At the end of response operations, materials are available for storage and reuse in another operation if desired. If materials are discarded for waste, they are enhanced for accelerated biodegradation in a landfill. Absorption rates are two to four times more per material compared to traditional absorbents, and materials absorb oils throughout without manipulation.

Characteristics:

Recovered fluid ounces: 19,200 (approx. 30 cycles of use in one spill response)

Pick up ratio: 25 times weight (minimum)

Effective spill control of all hydrocarbon liquids, including oil, gasoline, diesel, avgas, solvents, and hazardous hydrocarbon chemicals.

Filter technology and reusable absorbent technology are useful solutions for containment, mechanical recovery, absorbents, shoreline, and waste challenges. The technologies eliminate nearly every concern of containment and recovery equipment deficiencies. Of major significance is the ability, of either the filter technology or the reuable absorbent technology, to perform the same absorption or filtering functions regardless of shape, size, or configuration. The technologies work as stated in any environment. This will allow for complete customization into many specific applications which will spread the capabilities, cost savings, waste elimination, and sustainability across seemingly unlimited industrial uses for many of the industries represented at the International Oil Spill Conference (IOSC) such as Airline, Utiliities, Oil and Gas E&P, Ports, Military, and all maintenance, repair, and operations functions, and many others.

Effectiveness is greater than 95 percent on oil recovery, and greater than 95 percent on containment of spilled oil in various application environments. Materials have the ability to recover 100 percent of thin slicks even in inclement weather conditions. The materials work at a high efficiency rate with immediate absorption or filtration of oil and its derivatives. The absorbent based materials are highly selective and will recover oil only. Materials are completely reusable without sacrifice of performance during later usage. In addition, absorption rates are extraordinary. Reusable absorbents absorb nearly ten times as much oil in use than most currently available absorbent technologies. In pad form, this translates into nearly one gallon of oil absorbed per board foot (one pad of material).

Reusable absorbents provide a much needed solution for waste generated during spill operations. Compared to four-hundred traditional absorbent pads, ten industrial sized pads--equivalent to forty board feet of material--absorbs approximately 100 gallons of oil. This amounts to a significant material usage difference during operations. This also has significant cost ramifications when barrels of hazardous waste of absorbents range in cost from a couple hundred dollars to a thousand dollars or more across the United States. This results in 20–60 percent decrease in disposal costs.

The additional key component in employing sustainable technologies to achieve sustainable response is the sustainable spill response methodology and framework. The framework provides guidance on sustainable parameters and key indicators of sustainability in spill response within three distinct phases: initial response, operational recovery, and waste management.

This ensures responders are prioritizing the appropriate response mechanisms and tools that will achieve the greatest effectiveness and enhanced sustainable spill response. Here, the foundation of the framework is explained and contextualized with a focus on containment and recovery technologies as covered in previous sections of the paper.

The conceptual framework provides the foundation to define and carry out sustainable spill response. The author created the initial parameters based on the assessment of unresolved challenges of existing spill response technologies and currently available or up and coming advancements in technologies. The current failure points or unresolved concerns of traditional technologies became the minimum baseline parameter recognized as unsustainable spill response.

An example of how this is applied with current containment technology follows. The unsustainable baseline is given by the current rating of 10–20 percent effectiveness for containment booms. A sustainable rating of at least 70 percent is the benchmark to achieve sustainable containment operations. This benchmark was defined in a separate ongoing research study conducted by the author of the technical spill response stakeholders such as responders, government officials, and oil operators. In the case of utilizing the advanced filtration technology, effectiveness exceeds 70 percent and therefore would be considered a sustainable technology that should become a first choice in response.

The framework is structured by layering parameters for the techniques and technologies primarily utilized during spill response. The technologies are categorized into three distinct phases of initial response, operational recovery, and waste management during spill response operations. The three spill phases provide somewhat of a sequential order and are the foundation to organize the spill response techniques and technologies. Although it is possible that a technique or technology categorized as initial response can continue and/or overlap with later recovery or waste management operations as response efforts continue over time, the response phases provide context and structure to apply parameters of each technology.

A key component to the success of achieving sustainable spill response is the use of advanced sustainable technologies within the framework. The definition of a sustainable technology is based on the ability to meet proposed parameters as outlined in the framework and defined by stakeholders. This may include criteria such as compositions of materials utilized and/or compositions of formulas that are benign or of extremely reduced toxicity as compared to traditional technologies utilized in response operations. The parameters are not yet exhaustive and are proposed in the current paper as the initial criteria to meet sustainable standards. As the database of surveys and interviews increase, a statistical significance is reached and will become a normalized standard as defined by the spill community.

It is possible to increase effectiveness of spill containment by at least 50 percent, increase mechanical recovery by 50 percent effectiveness, decrease waste generation in recovery operations by greater than 50 percent, and decrease overall response cost by greater than 20 percent, all while utilizing advanced sustainable technologies and a sustainable spill response framework that enhances the sustainable profile of spill operations. In fact, it is possible to achieve double the results sought of in the initial question. This initial utilization of two distinct sustainable technologies has produced results that opens a new era in spill response capabilities. In combination with the spill response framework, there is a real chance to move spill response into what some would think is an oxymoron--sustainable spill response.

There is a need to further assess sustainable technologies utilized and desired by responders and to continue a deeper dive into sustainable solutions produced by manufacturers on a global scale. Additional sustainable technologies studied by the author include, but are not limited to, advanced waste elimination microbial technologies that eliminate oily water waste onsite, waste conversion to reusable energy technologies, and novel liquid systems that suspend oils within bubble generating systems for oil capture, recovery and reuse in open water spills that could replace dispersants, as well as, provide automatic response in wilderness environments or environments difficult for equipment to reach. These technologies are covered in detail by the author in additional studies that are planned for release and continued updating.

We must match the needs of spill response with the availability of spill technologies. There should be a clear delineation of advanced technologies that exist, but are not scalable for industry use, and those technologies that may be at an earlier stage but are scalable for use. This will allow for more comprehensive ability to implement sustainable spill response.