Selected Abstracts & Bibliography of International Oil Spill Research, Through 1998
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Selected Abstracts & Bibliography of International Oil Spill Research, through 1998 Compiled by the Louisiana Applied Oil Spill Research & Development Program Electronic Bibliography, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1987. Sensors and transducers: gaging physical qualities. Machine Design 59(May 14):135. Key words: Sensors 1988. Improved biomass utilization through the use of nuclear techniques. Report of the final research co-ordination meeting on development of improved rural methane production from biomass by utilizing nuclear techniques held in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, 11-14 May 1987. Final research co-ordination meeting on development of improved rural methane production from biomass by utilizing nuclear techniques. 114. Biomass is a major by-product resource of agriculture and food manufacturing, but it is under-utilized as a source of food, fibre, and chemicals. Nuclear techniques provide unique tools for studies of the capabilities of micro-organisms in methane digestor operation and in the transformation of lignocellulosic materials to useful products. Nuclear techniques have also been effectively employed as mutagenic agents in the preparation of more efficient microbial strains for the conversion of biomass. This report reviews the variety and diversity of such applications with focus on the development of microbial processes to utilize agricultural wastes and by-products. The value of nuclear techniques is manifestly demonstrated in the production of efficient microbial mutant strains, in the tracing of metabolic pathways, in the monitoring of lignin degradation and also of fermenter operation. Key words: methane, biosynthesis, radiation effects, biological pathways, fermentation, tracer techniques, mutants, irradation. 1988. Proceedings of the Annual Gulf of Mexico Information Transfer Meeting (9th), October 25-27, New Orleans, Louisiana. Key words: Oil Spills, Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Drilling, Water Pollution, Geographic Information System In 1981, the Minerals Management Service held the first Information Transfer Meeting to exchange regional, environmental, and socioeconomic information among Federal and State governments, industry, academia, and public interest groups concerned with the effects of oil and gas activities on the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of Mexico Information Transfer Program has three goals: (1) to provide a forum for 'scoping' topics relative to environmental assessment or offshore oil and gas activities; (2) to present the accomplishments of the MMS Gulf of Mexico Environmental Studies Program and other MMS research programs or study projects; and (3) to foster exchange of information of regional interest among scientists, agencies, regionally-important industries, and academia. The volume summarizes the presentations given at the Ninth Annual Gulf of Mexico Information Transfer Meeting held in October 1988. Eleven sessions included the following topics: wetlands concerns; oil spill control and cleanup; marine mineral resources in the Northern Gulf; contributed papers: current Gulf marine research; chemosynthetic communities; risk perception, assessment and management; MS/AL shelf marine ecosystems; marine ecosystems; and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and data sources. 1989. Foam-X sorbent evaluation. Canadian Petroleum Association, Calgary, AB (Canada). Prairie Region Oil Spill Containment and Recovery Advisory Committee. 25. Tests on Foam-X sorbents potential to absorb retain spilled oil and to reduce a hydrocarbon's flammability are described. The sorbent is placed on the surface of an oil slick where the spilled oil is recovered by either adsorption or absorption. Foam sorbents have a distinct cellular structure which does not depend on the nature of various oils to provide coherence of the oil/sorbent mixture. An open cell polyurethane foam supplies a large surface area of porous material with open ended interconnected pores. The tests conducted on Foam-X include: Canadian Standards absorbency test, water column visual analysis, suface oil retention visual analysis, and gas chromatograph vapor analysis. These tests were done on Foam-X, peat moss and vermiculite sorbents and the results compared. Conclusions are: Foam-X sobent is capable of ab/adsorbing significant amounts of oil per unit weight of sobent with relatively short contact times. It is 100% hydrophobic and is able to maintain ad/absorbed oil on the water surface for extended periods of time without any visual effect on the water column. Oil can be effectively recovered from Foam-X and Foam-X appears to reduce the release of vapors from spilled hydrocarbons. 12 refs., 22 figs., 7 tabs.| Key words: oil spills, sorbent, recovery systems, comparative evaluation, absorption, gas chromatography, polyurethanes, chromatography, materials, organic compounds, organic polymers, petrochemicals, polyamides, polymers, separation processes, synthetic materials. 1989. In situ investigations into the feasibility of bacterial oxidation of methane. CMRS Bulletin (India). 16:3:9, 11-12. The technique of in-situ bacterial degradation of methane, using Methanotrophs, has been utilised in five coal mines in India. In each case methane emission decreased, with treatment time ranging from 30 to 120 days. Key words: coal seams, degassing, biodegradation, underground mining, minerals resources, geologic deposits. 1989. Bioprocessing of fossil fuels program: Summary of AR and TD sponsored activities for the period 01/01/89 through 03/31/89. 22. An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of six different microorganisms on Illinois No. 6 solubilized coal. The microorganisms had been previously shown to alter or degrade dibenzothiophene (DBT). Three methods were investigated to determine the effect of the microorganisms on the solubilized coal. The methods were Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and pyrolysis/mass spectrometry (PY-MS). Pyrolysis/mass spectrometry (PY-MS), determines the form of organic sulfur present in the coal by pyrolyzing a sample at high temperature in an inert atmosphere and analyzing the fragments by mass spectrometry. This method can identify the molecular ion from each organosulfur compound produced in the pyrolysis, which requires a library of known compounds as references. Although there is at the present time a limited number of reference compounds, the method does reveal differences or patterns amongst samples. In the present experiment, analysis of the solubilized coal in the presence of organisms C18 and E1 showed an enhancement in the number of terpenoid-like compounds. Additional analysis of the pyrolysis-mass spectral data showed the presence of several organosulfur compounds in bacterially treated coal that were not identified in the untreated coal. These compounds were tentatively identified as dibenzothiophene, benzothiophene and diphenyl sulfoxide. Organosulfur and terpenoid structures may be more resistant to microbial degradation than other coal constituents such as aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons. Thus, the enrichment of organosulfur and terpenoid structures in microbially treated solubilized coal may be accounted for either by the degradation of readily metabolized coal components leaving minor components more easily identified such as aliphatic and aromatics or microbes may catalyze the formation of these compounds. Key words: organic sulfur compounds, biodegradation, pyrolysis, chemical reactions, materials, measuring instruments, mass spectrometers, coal, fossil fuels. 1990. New company tackles waste the way earth would. New Technology Week (July 9). Key words: Waste Disposal, Oil Spills 1990. California firm touts bioremediation taracevicz: the system is clean, contained and reliable Environment Week (July 12) Key words: Bioremediation, Oil Spills 1990. Installation-restoration program: preliminary assessment.Unpublished report prepared for 222nd Combat Communications Squadron, Costa Mesa Air National Guard Station, California Air National Guard, Costa Mesa, CA. Oak Ridge, TN: Martin Marietta Energy Systems, 54 pp. Key words: Groundwater, Oil Spills, Waste Disposal, California The preliminary assessment included the following activities: (1) An on-site visit, including interviews and field surveys; (2) Acquisition and analysis of information on past hazardous materials use, waste generation, and waste disposal at the station; (3) Acquisition and analysis of available geological surveys, hydrological data, meteorological data, and environmental data; and (4) Identification and assessment of sites where contamination of soils, groundwater and/or surface water may have occurred. Operations that have involved the use of hazardous materials and the disposal of hazardous wastes include vehicle maintenance and maintenance of aerospace ground equipment (AGE). The hazardous wastes disposed of through these operations include varying quantities of fuels, acids, points, thinners, strippers, solvents, and oils. The field surveys and interviews resulted in no sites being identified that exhibit the potential for migration of contaminants from toxic hazards such as oil spills, industrial wastes, etc. 1990. Manufacturers highlight selected insecticide products: an in-depth look at pest control chemicals. Agribusiness Worldwide 12(March):20 1991 (June). Strategic petroleum reserve annual site environmental report for calendar year 1990. Unpublished report prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy. 127 pp. Key words: Groundwater, Oil Spills, Strategic Petroleum