Oil Pollution

Causes of oil pollution• A. Engine oil leaking or deliberate discharge• B. Industrial machine oil leaking into drains• C. Dumping of water used to wash tankers tanks• D. Discharging of bilge water• E. Tanker accidents• F. Accidental spillages from storage or refineries• G. Leakage during drilling or exploration

• Which of the above are point sources and which are dispersed sources?

Effects of Oil Pollution• Asphyxiation of shore life

• Hypothermia in birds

• Drowning• • Digestive problems• • Preventing oxygenation

Control of oil pollution• Recycling• Equipment maintenance• Bund walls

• Improved ship tanker design : • double skinned,

• twin engines and rudders,• • separate ballast water tanks

Control contd• Improved ship tanker operation:• better training,

• use of inert gas to fill tanks,

• crude oil washing,

• oil terminals accepting oily water for treatment

• Oil interceptors remove floating oil from drainage

Cleaning up spills

• Booms• Skimmers• Use of adsorbent materials • Spraying with polymerising chemicals• Spraying with detergents or other dispersants• Spraying with steam or hot water jets• Bioremdiation using bacteria