Oil Spill Cleanup

OIL SPILL CLEANUP

Offshore oil drilling and the use of supertankers for transporting oil pose the risk of oil spills. Oil spills can damage commercial and recreational fishing areas, spoil beaches, kill marine birds, mammals, and other aquatic life, and destroy shellfish communities. A mere 3.8 L of oil can contaminate as many as 20 million liters of water! Suppose you are a scientist or an engineer for Eco-Marine, Inc., an environmental remediation firm that specializes in resolving ocean pollution problems. Your supervisor has just distributed the memo below that describes your latest assignment.

Memo

To: All Eco-Marine Staff

From: Marina Waters, Lead Scientist

Re: Oil-Spill Cleanup Proposal

I would like to inform you that Del Mar Oil Company is accepting proposals for a cleanup plan that could be implemented in the event of an oil spill from one of the many supertankers that sail the seas. There are several top-notch companies competing for this contract, but I am confident that we at Eco-Marine, Inc. can develop the best plan for oil spill cleanups that is fast and effective yet has a minimum impact on the affected marine ecosystems. I would like each team in my department to develop its own plan. The first part of your plan should test the various cleanup materials currently available. Phase two of your plan should involve using the materials to clean up on a small scale oil spill along a model beachfront. Once all the plans have been tested, we will decide which to submit to Del Mar Oil Company.

Marina Waters,

Lead Scientist OIL SPILL CLEANUP

OBJECTIVES

Select various materials and use them to determine their effectiveness at cleaning up a model oil spill.

Design an experiment to clean up a model oil spill.

Test the plan and evaluate the results.

REQUIRED MATERIALS

• beaker (250 mL)

• paint tray, large rectangular

• clock

• containers or bowl

• cooking oil (100 mL)

• feather

• gravel

 sand

• shell

• spoon

• pipe cleaner

• water

Potential cleanup materials – You Choose 8 To Test From Here: spoons, popsicle/craft sticks, toothpicks, dip nets, drinking straws, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, pieces of plastic foam, string, yarn, pieces of brown paper bag, cotton balls, pieces of nylon stocking (panty hose), pieces of sponge, paper towels, coffee filters, cloth, liquid detergent, cat litter, baking soda, flour, vinegar, other materials you wish to bring from home (you must get these approved).

OIL SPILL CLEANUP

Day 1 -PREPARATION TO TEST CLEANUP MATERIALS

1. Work with a team of students as assigned by your teacher. Choose 8 items from the potential cleanup materials list which your group will try to use to clean up a model oil spill. If your group has other materials they would like to bring in and try from home get approval for those materials from your teacher. List the materials your group plans to test in the table below.

2. You will test your cleanup materials to determine their effectiveness in the following categories: containing the oil spill, cleaning up the water and recovering spilled oil, and cleaning up the shore and affected wildlife. Also evaluate the potential environmental impacts of using a large quantity of each of your cleanup materials in the ocean.

3. You will rate each material as poor, average, good, or excellent and record your observations in the table.

4. Work with the other members of your group to devise a plan for cleaning up an oil spill. Note that your plan must specify which materials and techniques you will use for containing the spill, cleaning up the water and recovering the oil, cleaning up the shoreline, cleaning up the affected wildlife, and minimizing the impact on ocean ecosystems. Write your complete plan below. Attach another sheet of paper, if necessary. CLEAN-UP PLAN (attach a separate sheet if necessary for your plan): OIL SPILL CLEANUP

Day 2 – Part 1 TESTING CLEANUP MATERIALS

TESTING CLEANUP MATERIALS for containing the spill

1. Fill your plastic test container about ½ full of water. Place one of the materials you think could be used to contain the oil spill into your test container on the surface of the water. Use the measuring spoon to slowly pour a spoonful of oil onto the surface of the water outside of the material you are testing. This represents an oil spill in the open ocean. Rate each material as poor, average, good, or excellent and record your observations in the table. Repeat this test for all materials that you think could be used to contain the oil spill.

TESTING CLEANUP MATERIALS for cleaning up the water and recovering the oil

2. Fill your plastic test container about ½ full of water. Use the measuring spoon to slowly pour a spoonful of oil onto the surface of the water. This represents an oil spill in the open ocean. Now, test one of the materials you think could be used to clean up the water and recover the oil. Place any recovered oil into the white plastic bathroom cup (note - you may not be able to recover any oil, list this in the data table). Rate each material as poor, average, good, or excellent and record your observations in the table. Repeat this test for all materials that you think could be used to clean up the water and recover the oil.

TESTING CLEANUP MATERIALS for cleaning up the shoreline

3. You will test the rock and the sand separately. Place a spoonful of rock or sand in your plastic test container. Then add a small amount of oil onto the rock or sand. Now, test one of the materials you think could be used to clean up the rock or sand and remove the oil. Rate each material as poor, average, good, or excellent and record your observations in the table. Repeat this test for all materials that you think could be used to clean up the shoreline.

TESTING CLEANUP MATERIALS for cleaning up the affected wildlife

4. Place a piece of pipe cleaner (this represents a sea mammal) and a feather (this represents a bird) in your plastic test container to test the cleanup of affected wildlife. Then add a small amount of oil onto the pipe cleaner and the feather. Now, test one of the materials you think could be used to clean up the rock or sand and remove the oil. Rate each material as poor, average, good, or excellent and record your observations in the table. Repeat this test for all materials that you think could be used to cleanup affected wildlife. Day 2 – Part 2—DEVISING A PLAN

6. Work with the other members of your group to devise a plan for cleaning up an oil spill based on the results of the materials you tested. Note that your plan must specify which materials and techniques you will use for containing the spill, cleaning up the water and recovering the oil, cleaning up the shoreline, cleaning up the affected wildlife, and minimizing the impact on ocean ecosystems. Write your complete plan on another sheet of paper. You will test your plan on a model beachfront tomorrow. When everyone has tested their plan, your team will share your plan with the rest of the class (using any or all of these resources: pictures, a video, or a verbal description). After all plans are shared the entire class will work together to come up with a class plan for cleanup that will be compared and tested against the other class period’s plans. The class plans will be tested and recorded during the next class period and judged by Mrs. Mabe. The winning class will receive Krispy Kreme Doughnuts! Day 3 —TESTING THE PLAN ON A MODEL BEACHFRONT

1. Build a model ocean shore in the paint tray. First create a beach in the shallow end using sand, gravel, and a shell. Then, pour in the water until the water reaches about two inches past the point where the water meets the sand and rock (the shoreline). Place a feather (bird) and a pipe cleaner (sea mammal) and a shell on the beach as shown below (they should be placed in both water and on the sand).

2. Now get your cleanup materials ready for the oil spill, but do not put them in yet. You should have materials that you plan to use to contain the spill and keep it from reaching the shore, materials to clean up the water and recover the oil, materials to clean up the shoreline, materials to clean up the affected wildlife, and in doing all of this you should try to minimize the impact on the ecosystem. No oil spill can be completely contained, so to make it more realistic you will only be allowed to try and contain the spill and keep it from reaching 2 out of 3 of the items on shore (the bird, the sea mammal, or the shell). Your goals are to protect as much of the shore as possible (and 2 out of 3 of the items on shore), to clean up the oil, and recover as much as possible.

3. Now it’s time for the oil spill! Slowly pour 50 mL of cooking oil into the back corner (either one will do it’s your choice) of your model. As soon as the oil begins to be poured, the group may begin setting up their containment area in the tray. You cannot use the sides of the pan to support any of your containment materials. Remember you can only contain 2 out of 3 of the items on shore (the bird, the sea mammal, or the shell). Once all oil has been poured have a member of another group begin to blow the oil toward the shore while you are attempting clean up and recovery.

4. Work together with the others in your team to implement your cleanup plan. Your goal should be to work as quickly and effectively as possible. For each cleanup task (oil containment, oil recovery, shore cleanup, and wildlife cleanup), have one member of your group record below the time it takes to complete the task and how well the task was completed.

Time when oil spill began: ______

Task End Time or N/A if not achieved Total Time (in minutes) oil containment oil recovery shore cleanup wildlife cleanup OIL SPILL CLEANUP QUESTIONS

Analysis

1. Which containment method worked best? Which was least effective?

2. Which of the major cleanup tasks was the most difficult to carry out? Explain.

3. How much of the original spill was your group able to recover?

4. What happened when the oil reached your model beach? How effective was the cleanup of the sand or gravel and the objects representing wildlife?

Conclusions

5. How might the weather affect attempts to contain an actual oil spill?

6. What factors make an actual oil spill different from your simulation? 7. What impacts might cleanup methods have on marine plant and animal life in an actual oil spill?

8. After each group has presented its results to the class, the class will determine which plan (or elements of the plans presented) Eco-Marine, Inc. should submit to Del Mar Oil Company. Explain your choice. Oil Spill Clean-Up

Day 4 —Follow-up, Final Design, Test, and Competition!

1. Your team will now share your oil spill plan with the rest of the class focusing on what worked. Each member of the team should participate in sharing your plan. You should go into detail about what worked in each category: oil containment, oil recovery, shore cleanup, and wildlife cleanup. Only briefly mention the things that did not work. Also, mention what you would do differently if you were to re-test on a model beachfront (yesterday’s lab). As you go over the information have one group member list the things that worked on the board as well as new ideas you would like to implement in the final design.

2. After all plans are shared the entire class will work together to come up with a finalized class plan for cleanup that will be compared and tested against the other class period’s plans. The class plans will be tested and recorded today and judged by Mrs. Mabe. The winning class will receive Krispy Kreme Doughnuts!

Oil Spill Clean-up Video Follow-up: http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-responsibility/today-on-planet-100-how-to-clean-up-an-oil-spill-video.html http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/stories/magnets-could-help-clean-up-offshore-oil-spills http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/blogs/can-we-use-hay-to-clean-up-the-oil-spill

Oil Spill Clean-up Article Follow-up: http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/stories/magnetic-soap-new-tool-for-oil-spill-cleanup Honors Extension Oil Spill Extension Homework

Research the materials your group and the final class model used to clean-up the oil spill. What environmental impacts would these materials have on the wildlife, people, the ocean water, etc. Based on your research findings what materials do you think would be the best to use for oil containment, oil recovery, shore cleanup, and wildlife cleanup? Give reasons why the materials you select are the best suited for the job. Handwrite or type your recommendations in a short essay (paragraph form, complete sentences, correct spelling and grammar).

Honors Extension Oil Spill Extension Homework