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The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon platform resulted in the release of an estimated 205
million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in a three month span. The impacts of any
oil spill can be devastating, affecting the ecosystem and any associated person or business.
While human intervention is necessary and most methods of cleanup are environmentally
friendly, the use of chemical dispersants is one such method that is controversial.
With 2 million gallons of oil dispersant used in the gulf since the Deepwater horizon accident,
dispersant use is an important topic for anybody to be familiar with. By the end of this movie,
you should understand what dispersants are, how they work, and that dispersants are potentially
harmful to the environment. Simply put, dispersants accelerate natural oil degradation by breaking
down oil into small droplets that are easier to degrade. These processes include the combined
interaction of weathering, evaporation, oxidation, sedimentation, and biodegradation. These processes
degrade the estimated 168 million gallons of oil that is naturally released into the
marine environment every year off U.S shores. Weathering involves the combined action of
currents, temperature, waves, wind, and other environmental aspects that will break down
oil both physically and chemically to form droplets. Evaporation occurs when the liquid
component of oil is evaporated into the air. Oxidation is the chemical transformation of
oil components, which allows oil to combine with mater molecules, ultimately resulting
in oil breakdown. Sedimentation is the process by which oil combines with suspended material,
and is then deposited on the sea floor. Simultaneously with these other processes, Biodegredation
occurs which involves microorganisms that break down oil. The oil is broken down into
non-toxic compounds . Each of these processes is aided by every other process. Again, chemical
dispersants accelerate oil degradation by working in unison with the natural processes
to ultimately degrade oil into non-toxic compounds. Dispersants may sound like a good idea, But
are dispersants actually effective when it comes to oil degradation and dispersion? The
answer is yes, as it was found by Researchers from Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. An Environmental Protection Agency approved,
Baffled Flask test was used to test the effectiveness of dispersants. The relationship of dispersants
with different environmental conditions could also be determined due to the ability to isolate
specific tests in flasks. These conditions include temperature, oil type, and water conditions.
Water conditions being the mixing energy of currents, waves, and wind, which were simulated
by swirling and shaking the flask at different speeds. Dispersant effectiveness could be
tested for by comparing results to a reference test, or control, that did not contain any
chemical dispersants. Multiple flasks for each test were used, and then replicated multiple
times to ensure the data was randomized and any findings could be determined as statistically
significant. After extensive testing, dispersants were effective in breaking up oil slicks and
forming small oil droplets. It was also experimentally proven that dispersant effectiveness significantly
enhanced when combined with the other external factors. The combination of vigorous water
conditions and an increase in temperature led to further increases in oil degradation
rates. Although dispersants are effective in oil degradation, the environmental effects
have been highly debated. First off, it has been stated by many that dispersants are non-toxic
to most species, and that dispersing the oil will have a more positive effect on ecosystems.
Some believe dispersants cover up the obvious effects of a spill by reducing the amount
of oil that gets to shore, but leads to further problems of the ecosystems out at sea that
encounter the dispersed oil. More research is needed on the effects of dispersants as
there have been no long term studies on the effects on ecosystems. Remember, Dispersants
accelerate natural oil degradation. The natural processes that degrade oil include wind, waves,
currents, temperature, sedimentation, oxidation, and biodegradation.