In this video posted by the Walton County (FL) Sheriff’s Department, Darryl Carpenter, Vice President of Florida-based CW Roberts Contracting and sub-contractor Otis Goodson, shows how hay, hay grass and straw can be used as a very effective environmentally correct oil spill cleanup solution. In a scene reminiscent of a primetime cooking show, the Carpenter and Goodson video shows how Coastal Bermuda and Bahia hay could be scattered over the surface of the ocean with hay blowers to absorb the oil. To start, the two men pour oil into two large pans of water, stir in the hay, add a little “wave action,” then skim off the oil-soaked hay. The audience watching the Walton County video included representatives from BP (British Petroleum), the Coast Guard and the Sheriff’s office. CW Roberts then asks BP and the Coast Guard for the chance to do a 10-acre live demonstration in Gulf waters. They were told that approval has to come from higher up, but can they say no to this environmentally correct oil spill cleanup solution, with just Hay and Straw? “We work along the whole Gulf of Mexico coastal area in Florida,” says CW Roberts president, Charles Roberts. “We have everything mobilized. We can have boats and equipment on the water in less than a half-day. We have been getting calls from all over, from people who want to supply the hay. We want to be given the chance to see if it works. If it works on 10-acres, then give us a bigger assignment.” CW Roberts, a 700-employee …
32 percent of the Gulf of Mexico remains off limits for fishing, as a result of the massive oil spill, in spite of BP finally managing to funnel some of the spilling oil and capturing it in surface boats.
This is only a temporary answer, however, particularly in the face of the commencement of the hurricane season.
The 31st anniversary of the 1979 Pemex Ixtoc oil spill in Mexico’s Bay of Campeche was on 3rd June. It took over 357 days before relief oil wells were successfully drilled and leaked 3.3m barrels of oil.
The Ixtoc spill was in just 160 feet of water, 50 miles offshore. An exploratory drill bit hit soft strata below the sea floor, creating hydrostatic pressure. When workers went to alter location, it set off a chain reaction, causing a blowout and explosion, when the oil and gas reached motors on the surface.
Equipment failure in the blowout preventer made it impossible to cut through the reinforced pipe.
Much of the oil fouled marine environments, which largely remained out of sight and out of mind, as the oil drifted offshore to deeper waters. A large amount of damage was created however, along 150 miles along the coastline of Texas.
“Ixtoc continued to leak oil more than three months after completed its first relief well,” according to Reuters. It took Pemex over twelve months to drill two relief wells.Pemex was able to follow up its efforts by pumping cement and water down the runaway well. Because the Deepwater Horizon well is at a depth of a mile under water, this is something BP will not be able to do.
Pemex never paid for the damage it created to the economy of the United States and Mexico. Neither did it pay for any environmental damage, as it hid behind sovereign immunity.
Analysts are estimating the financial bill of the current oil spill at billion. This does not include the terrifying result of a hurricane dropping oil 50m inland.
The top six largest oil spills in history are:
6.Persian Gulf, Nowruz Oil Field Spill, 1983, with 80m gallons. It was the result of a tanker collision with an oil platform. 5.A ruptured pipe line, in the Kolva River, Russia, 1994, spilt 84m gallons. Oil seeped into the Russian Arctic. 4.A Greek oil tanker, trapped in a tropical storm, collided with another ship, in 1979. 90m gallons of oil was spilt off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.3.June 1979 the Mexican owned Pemex Inxtoc well spilt 140m gallons into the Bay of Campeche, Mexico.2.Between 380 – 520m gallons of oil were spilled into the Persian Gulf, in 1991, when retreating Iraqi forces opened valves at an offshore oil terminal, also dumping oil from several tankers. The released oil covered a 4000 sq mile area, to a depth of 4 inches. 1.2010, Deepwater Horixon oil spill leaking at a rate of 60,000 barrels a day since April 20th
There are another 29 serious oil spills before the Exxon Valdex oil spill of 1989, which spilt 10.8m gallons of oil along the Alaskan coast.
About the Author
Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys and her husband are CEO’s of YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org) provide high school education grants for children who are without hope. You can help in this really great project by taking a few minutes to check out the Sponsor a Student program at Win a Resort (http://winaresort.com). It really will change your life and the life of some really needy kids.Feel free to contact Wendy on admin@youmesupport.org
Oil Spills on Pavement – A Seriously Overlooked Environmental Threat!
Article by oilmbs
It is generally erroneously believed by nearly all that big tanker oil spills are the major contributor to the oil pollution that occur in the world’s oceans. But, did you know that spills resulting from engine oil changes on land, leak nearly nine times the amount of oil spilled from tankers into the sea?While global awareness is concentrated more on the devastating marine oil spills, including the very recent spill that happened in Gulf of Mexico, less attention – indeed practically no attention is paid to the deleterious effects of small spills. From the environmental experts’ perspective, mini oil spills that occur on land contribute a considerable percentage to the petroleum hydrocarbon pollutants that reach the oceans. Though unbelievable, it is a fact that the mini spills that occur on land in North America over a period of eight months, when put together, create a volume of oil that almost equalizes with the Alaskan Exxon Valdez spill that happened in 1989. Can you guess the exact volume of oil? It is something you would never have dreamed of. Yes, it is an astonishing 10.8 million gallons or 250,000 barrels of petroleum. The land-based oil spills that occur accidentally, which we actually tend to ignore are actually the ones that require special attention. It is solely because these oil pollutants reach the water bodies when it rains. A research by the National Research Council states that, even an oil spill as small as five quarts can degrade the quality of millions of gallons of water. With such devastating effects, this problem definitely calls for a timely solution. To safeguard our environment from the threat posed from such spills and oil stains on pavement a lot depends on us. For instance, if there are any accidental spills at home, immediate remediation or removing oil stains using eco-friendly products, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200 should be initiated. By adopting such eco-friendly methods of effective oil stain removal, you’ll reduce the chances of this environmental hazard to a great extent.
The moment we come across an oil spill, one remedy that strikes our mind is the use of oil spill dispersants. Though we’re aware that these dispersants can help contain an oil spill, most of us don’t know its exact working mechanism. We don’t even know if they are a boon or bane. If you have the same doubts in your mind, then read on!Pros: Here are some advantages of using oil spill dispersants* Oil spill dispersants change the chemical and physical properties of oil so that it mixes better with water. * Oil spill dispersants when used efficiently can prove to be a effective method of oil spill containment. Cons: Though using dispersants may seem like a fair idea, it has several drawbacks* First and foremost, once dispersants break down oil in the deep water, the oil gets to the top surface, which is then contained using booms. But, what makes their use not advisable is the fact that they cannot be used near the shore. If used, they might be even toxic than the oil itself. For instance, Corexit, the dispersant being used in the containment of the recent Gulf oil spill is a kerosene-based dispersant and can be considered hazardous. Also, EPA recommends the use of this dispersant only at depths of 75 meters or deeper* Dispersants can be effective only when used within 1 or 2 days after an oil spill, after which natural weathering makes the oil more complex to disperse. * Dispersed oil also stands the risk of entering the food chain as there are chances of the oil being consumed by planktons. * Viscous oil cannot be dispersed effectively using chemical dispersants since the oil may run off into the water even before the solvents can penetrate. Since chemical oil spill dispersants’ cons overweigh pros, you can think of using eco-friendly cleaners, such as Oil Gone Easy S-200, which works using bioremediation technique, to cleanup oil spills.
With oil from the BP oil spill, which resulted from the Deepwater Horizon disaster in April, already coming onshore and ruining beaches along the Gulf of Mexico companies are scrambling to use spill equipment to help save the beaches. Some are having some success using absorbent booms, which are lined up for miles on the coastline absorbing the oil as the tide moves it toward shore. HESCO® Concertainer® basket units are also being used as a weapon against the BP oil spill. These are defensive structures that have been used in the past to protect beaches against storms, floods and even the U.S. military uses them in combat situations. Their accordion design allows for easy positioning and they can be put together quickly, within as little as 20 minutes in most cases. They also have a stable core with a pyramid design of three rows and be concealed easily with a layer of sand placed on top of it with a high-powered sand blower. The units can be equivalent to 1,500 sandbags, which take about 10 people and seven hours minimum to install. That runs up the cost of labor and more time, which is precious in the oil spill clean up effort. Also, adding Enviro-Armour™ to the units will make them even more effective. Enviro-Armour is a polymer agent that will transform the oil into a floating solid. This makes it easier to clean up and it can even be reused as a raw material such as:
· Plastic· Rubber· Asphalt· Burned as fuel
Spill equipment such as the HESCO units with the Enviro-Armour™ provides a strong beach barrier that can help protect he beaches from being destroyed because of the oil spill. This method is already being used in Dauphin Island, AL.
Another type of spill equipment that is working is the use of absorbent booms. The booms can be stretched for miles along the coast and absorb any oil that it comes into contact with and turned into a solid once they are filled with the Enviro-Armour™ agent.
Beach protection is vitally important not only to the businesses that are lined up along the beaches, but for the wildlife as well. The eco-system is in great danger of being thrown out of kilter due to the BP oil spill, so acting now is imperative. Integrated Protection Systems (IPS) is using the aforementioned oil spill clean up methods in the BP oil spill fight along with their preferred installers, Sterling Building Specialists. For more on spill equipment, call 800-605-6586 or email info@bp-oil-spills.com.