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PeanutSalsa t1_j8s5txc wrote

What is the process for cleaning up oil spilled in water and is it possible for it all to be extracted?

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Few-Ganache1416 OP t1_j8s6o5a wrote

Oh man, I specialize in oil cleanups on land, I could give a 2-hour presentation on it and would still have so much to cover. However, for water, its much different. Oil spills to water and eventual cleanup of those spills is heavily dependent on the water body in which it was spilled. For oceans, you have to account for currents, waves, wind, etc. The short response is yes, kind of. You will be able to cleanup the visible oil or product but there is what is called the dissolved phase, which is much more difficult to cleanup since it is dissolved in the water itself. However, the dissolved phase is typically left unaddressed as those chemicals will quickly disperse in water and will quickly degrade as well. The general process therefore, relies on removing as much of the gross product as possible through absorbent and adsorbent material such as booms or oleophilic (attracts oily substances) floating devices.

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