Researchers in Brazil Innovate Offshore Oil Spill Cleanup Method
Researchers in Brazil, a global frontier in deepwater oil exploration, have developed a method for cleaning up offshore oil spills that avoids the use of chemical dispersants and hazardous burn-offs.
Scientists say they can use glycerin, a chemical often used in soap and cosmetics, to collect oil in offshore spills and recover it for later use.
That technology may come in handy for Brazil, which is driving forward with its campaign to tap billions of barrels of deepwater crude despite concern over offshore operations sparked by the massive BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The process converts glycerin into a powder that when thrown on top of an oil spill turns into a plastic-like substance that absorbs oil.
“It’s a natural phenomenon that takes place to absorb the oil, because both substances are equally hydrophobic so they both flee the water at the same time,” said Fernando Gomes de Souza, a chemistry professor at the Institute of Macromolecules at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Each tonne of glycerine can remove 23 tonnes of crude, which can later be separated out by adding kerosene.
This would also help Brazil boost the value of the growing quantities of glycerine produced as a byproduct of the country’s biodiesel industry.
“Today there are 100,000 tonnes per year of excess glycerin,” Gomes de Souza said during an interview. “That’s why we think this process is commercially viable, because the quantity of glycerin that will be produced is absurd.”
The cleanup of the Gulf of Mexico spill has relied heavily on the chemical dispersant Corexit, which critics say could cause more environmental harm than good.
Nalco Holding Co., which makes Corexit, says its dispersants are biodegradable and safe for aquatic life.
Authorities have also used controlled burning to remove oil from Gulf waters, which critics charge is harmful to marine animals.
Source: Reuters
Photo Credit: AP Photo/Lee Jin-man
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