Bio
My name is Zoë Kleiner I am an eight grader at Springwater Environmental Sciences School. Each eight grader completes a high level thinking science project called Capstone. During my Capstone project I will be testing two different processes of oil spill clean up, one using biodegradable materials and one using synthetic materials. I will have three bins, one for control (natural decomposition), one for biodegradable processes (containing Sphagnum Peat Moss, Seventh Generation biodegradable soap and oil eating microbes) and one for synthetic processes (oil booms, Dawn liquid soap and oil eating microbes). My goal for my Capstone project is to prove to marine oil spill scientists that biodegradable methods can help the environment by clearing the water of the spill, and have less of an effect on the environment.
Inspiration
Oil is the most important natural resource of the industrialized nations. It can generate heat, drive machinery and fuel vehicles and airplanes. Its components are used to manufacture almost all chemical products, such as plastics, detergents, paints, and even medicines. Oil has many useful and amazing qualities, but when the oil is spilled all over the ocean and kills millions of animals and bankrupt companies these amazing qualities may not seem so amazing anymore.
Oil is toxic and harms the environment where it is spilled and affects the wildlife there. It is important to clean up oil spills quickly to limit the damage to the environment.
Oil is toxic and harms the environment where it is spilled and affects the wildlife there. It is important to clean up oil spills quickly to limit the damage to the environment.
Purpose
Biodegradable products made from plants or animals leave behind biodegradable waste that breaks down over time. Synthetic waste is material that will not be decomposed by natural processes. Non-biodegradable waste products have long-lasting effects on land fills, where toxic pollutants often contaminate ground water. Biodegradable methods are healthier for the environment, less expensive and clean up just as much oil as non-biodegradable methods. Synthetic methods not only harm the organisms in the area they also affect the plants. Once the oil is absorbed the scientists are left with huge amount of oil soaked plastic and chemicals. Their solution is to bury all these chemicals in huge olympic pool size holes in the earth lined to make sure the oil never leaks, but sometimes it still leaks. The oil can seep into rivers, streams and pipelines, contaminating drinking water and getting into the blood streams of filter organisms. Scientist do the same thing with biodegradable methods, but biodegradable methods are less likely to leak due to their capability of continuing to hold in the oil as they biodegrade.
Dispersants create a toxic environment for fish by releasing harmful oil break-down products into the water. Dispersed oil has been shown to be toxic to fish at all life stages, from eggs to larval fish to adults, according to numerous laboratory studies that have tested a variety of species.
Dispersants and dispersed oil are particularly toxic to corals, leading scientists to call for a ban on dispersant use near coral reefs. Dispersants and dispersed oil harm the early stages of corals by increasing death rates, reducing settlement on reefs, and altering behavior.
According to the Minerals Management Service, dispersant components absorbed by sea turtles can affect their organs and interfere with digestion, excretion, and respiration.
Studies have found that dispersed oil damages the insulating properties of seabird feathers more than untreated oil, making the birds more susceptible to hypothermia and death. Dispersants and dispersed oil have also been shown to have toxic effects on bird eggs that are similar or worse than from untreated oil. Birds exposed to dispersed oil that return to their nests risk the death of their eggs.
Dispersants create a toxic environment for fish by releasing harmful oil break-down products into the water. Dispersed oil has been shown to be toxic to fish at all life stages, from eggs to larval fish to adults, according to numerous laboratory studies that have tested a variety of species.
Dispersants and dispersed oil are particularly toxic to corals, leading scientists to call for a ban on dispersant use near coral reefs. Dispersants and dispersed oil harm the early stages of corals by increasing death rates, reducing settlement on reefs, and altering behavior.
According to the Minerals Management Service, dispersant components absorbed by sea turtles can affect their organs and interfere with digestion, excretion, and respiration.
Studies have found that dispersed oil damages the insulating properties of seabird feathers more than untreated oil, making the birds more susceptible to hypothermia and death. Dispersants and dispersed oil have also been shown to have toxic effects on bird eggs that are similar or worse than from untreated oil. Birds exposed to dispersed oil that return to their nests risk the death of their eggs.
Synthetic Processes
-More than 130 million gallons of oil was dumped into the the ocean.
-1.8 million gallons of dispersants were dumped into the ocean to help clean up the spill
-Corexit seemed to harm an equal to greater amount of marine life than the oil itself.
-The dispersants used cost around 10 million dollars.
-The dispersants are not only very expensive, they are HARMFUL
-Most people use dispersants because they are easy to find and do a great job of breaking up the
oil.
Biodegradable Processes
Biodegradable processes are not used very often for many reasons...
- Hard to find such a large amount of this kind of material. Dispersants are easier to find at such a large scale due to their very well known reputation for oil spill clean up.
- Sphagnum Peat Moss will begin to sink if they hold too much oil and water.
- Biodegradable methods become more $ once they reach a certain quantity, making the companies in charge of clean up (BP for example) will choose the quickest and least expensive way of clean up.
- Lastly, biodegradable methods like the ones used in labs 1,2, and 3 have had very little exposure to huge corporate companies in charge of the clean up budgets for oil spills.
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Here are some informative National Geographic and Gulf Clean up Science videos about oil spills, their effects on the environment, methods used to cleanand the animals involved in the spill.