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Cleaning and Containing Oil Spills


h ttp://images.angelpub.com/2010/23/4952/oil-spill-2.gif http://www.noaa.gov/features/04_resources/images/seaturtle_oilspill_1.jpg

Broad Question

Which methods work best, for cleaning and containing oil spills.

Specific Question

Which method; surrounding, covering and blocking in, works the best to an oil spill? Which method; absorbing, sucking up, skimming, works the best to clean an oil spill?

Variables That Need To Be Controlled:
1. Follow Methods 2. Same time for oil to spread 3. Use same amount of water 4. Use same amount of oil 5. Use same holding container

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c9/Oil_containment_boom.jpg/220px-Oil_containment_boom.jpg

Hypothesis
I hypothesise that surrounding will work the best to contain an oil spill, followed by blocking in, and covering. The best way to clean an oil spill is skimming, followed by absorbing and sucking up.

=Experimental Design = I am going to conduct an experiment that will test what the best method to is clean or contain an oil spill. I will test this experiment, in my house, in a plastic bin. It is important to keep the experiment out of a body of water because oil can be harmful to the habitat. There will be one or two people involved in my experiment because I can pretty much conduct it by myself. My role will be pouring in oil and measure oil contained, or taken out. Another persons role will be to assist me and take photos. For each method, four tests will be conducted, allowing for a reliable conclusion. I will record my data on a spread sheet, that I will print out. I will make observations, and take a photo after each test to record and keep track of my progress. I will put all of my information on a wiki by sharing or emailing data and pictures to my teacher. =Materials List =
 * 1) Vegetable Oil
 * 2) Water
 * 3) Bin/bucket
 * 4) Measuring Containers
 * 5) Sponge
 * 6) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Syohon
 * 7) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Plastic Wrap
 * 8) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Bricks
 * 9) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Two People
 * 10) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Camera

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 150%; vertical-align: baseline;">__Procedure__ =<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Detailed Procedure =


 * 1) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fill large plastic container with water.
 * 2) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Pour oil into water.
 * 3) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let spread for three minutes.
 * 4) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use the surrounding containing method.
 * 5) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find the volume of contained oil.
 * 6) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record Data.
 * 7) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Take picture.
 * 8) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use the covering containing method.
 * 9) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find the volume of contained oil.
 * 10) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record Data
 * 11) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Take picture.
 * 12) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use the blocking in containing method.
 * 13) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find the volume of contained oil.
 * 14) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record data.
 * 15) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Take picture.
 * 16) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use the skimming cleaning method.
 * 17) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find the volume of the oil taken out.
 * 18) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record data.
 * 19) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Take picture.
 * 20) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use the absorbing cleaning method.
 * 21) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find the volume of the oil taken out.
 * 22) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record data.
 * 23) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Take picture.
 * 24) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Use the sucking up cleaning method.
 * 25) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Find the volume of the oil taken out.
 * 26) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Record data.
 * 27) <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Take picture.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif;">Background Research
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Cleaning: One method, is spraying with chemicals, (this breaks up globs of oil)

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Time: After a 20 minutes, 300 gallons of oil can spread 160 feet (radius).

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In first few days, 20-40 percent of oils mass turn to gas.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Impacts on Environment:- <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It depends on oil type, spill location, he species of wildlife in the area, the timing of breeding cycles and seasonal migrations,and weather events during spill.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oil effects the wildlife, by covering animals in thick layers of oil. For example, birds sink, and are unable to fly away from pray. The oil also damages red blood cells, and fish eggs, larvae and young fish.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">four responses to oil spill ; 1. Leave, and let oil break down. 2. Contain the spill with booms or use skimming equipment (other methods are available) 3. Introduce biological agents to the spill to hasten bio degradation. 4. use dispersant's, and break up oil, leading to bio degrading. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">3. Introduce biological agents to the spill to hasten bio degradation. 4. use dispersant's, and break up oil, leading to bio degrading.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oil ;evaporates into air, is spread by wind, waves and current, is in jested by marine animals

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Whether clean up is necessary, depends on how oil reacts to the water.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Refined Oil/Gasoline: Evaporates quickly or can be burned off sea (to protect wildlife). If not burned, commonly drifts away in currents or is evaporated eventually.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">References <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"How oil breaks down in water." http://www.popularmechanics.com/. N.p., N.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"Oil Spills." http://oceanworld.tamu.edu. N.p., N.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2012. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Owens, Peter. Oil and Chemical Spills. Farming ton hills, Mi: Lucent Books, 2004. Print. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The Effects of Oil on Wildlife." http://www.amsa.gov. N.p., N.d. Web. 19 Jan. 2012.

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Data Table
media type="custom" key="14127604"

<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Graphs
<span style="color: #800080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">

Conclusion
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> My hypothesis was that surrounding would work the best to contain an oil spill, followed by blocking in, and covering. The best way to clean an oil spill would be skimming, followed by absorbing and sucking up. My results did not support my hypothesis. There is a relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Some patterns and trends that my data showed were that within each methods test, the results were less then 10 ml from each other.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> I think the tests I did went smoothly with minor problems. This is because I did get results and half of my hypothesis matched my conclusion but there were a few issues. The issues were that a few malfunctions occurred, like spilling oil taken out and having to redo tests and using the wrong type of sponge. If I could redo my test, I would use a more absorbant sponge and be more accurate with measuring. Also, to make sure not to spill the oil in the graduated cylinder. An interesting future study would be experimenting with different types of oil and not just vegetable oil (Maybe moter oil). I could do tests to see which method, works best for containing and cleaning oil spills, with different types of oil.

Discussion
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The purpose of my experiment, was to gain an understanding of what it would be like in a marine biologist’s shoes. I always had thought about which methods of cleaning and or containing oil spills, are most effective. I wanted to gain some knowledge and really experience some of the methods at work. When the spill on the Gulf of Mexico had occurred, it made me sad and worried about our marine habitats being in that kind of danger. I really wanted to know what worked best. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #800080; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> The results of the experiment were that skimming was the most effective cleaning method and covering was the most effective containing method. The second most effective cleaning method was absorbing and for containing is surrounding. The least effective method for cleaning is sucking up and for containing it was blocking in. For the cleaning methods, the average oil taken out (ml) was; skimming 38.65, absorbing 13.9 and sucking up was 3.5. For the containing methods, the average oil contained in an area (ml) was; blocking in 24, covering 48.25 and surrounding 43.3.