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Dispersants as an Oil Spill Clean-Up Technique in the Marine Environment: A Review

SSRN Electronic Journal
  • 5
    Citations
  • 374
    Usage
  • 13
    Captures
  • 0
    Mentions
  • 0
    Social Media
Metric Options:   Counts1 Year3 Year

Metrics Details

  • Citations
    5
    • Citation Indexes
      5
  • Usage
    374
    • Abstract Views
      324
    • Downloads
      50
  • Captures
    13

Article Description

A large quantity of oil produced ends up deposited in the ocean. There are several accounts on oil spills citing the Prestige, which occurred in Spain and France in 2002, and the Exxon Valdez, which also occurred in Alaska in 1989, as some well-known oil spills. Also, a 2010 Deepwater Horizon wellhead blow-out incident was reported in the Mexican Gulf. Owing to the fact that oil is a major source of energy in the industrial world, exploitation and rigging activities, transportation via sea, and many other mechanical failures which lead to oil spills into the marine environment are inevitable yet harmful. In this study, the behavior of oil upon release into the environment and various response methods with respect to major oil spills in the marine environment are reported. After comparisons of the traditional applications with regards to major marine spills, further discussions are made on dispersant application as the most suitable emergency response method for a large-scale marine oil spill in terms of response time, coverage area, location considerations, and modes of application. Dispersants on the market, formulation of dispersants, its applications and effects on the environment, as well as its limitations are discussed. Potential solutions to the limitations of dispersants application, future formulations, elimination of chemical dispersants and the use of environmentally benign dispersants are further discussed in this study.

Bibliographic Details

Yaw Kwakye Adofo; Emmanuel Nyankson; Benjamin Agyei-Tuffuor

Elsevier BV

Oil Spill Remediation Chemical DispersantsChemical Herders Food grade surfactants Dispersion Effectiveness

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