150 likes | 352 Views
GULF OIL SPILL An Engineering Challenge For Future Generations. ….and that means YOU!. PLEASE..help me fly again!. 150 mi. 150 mi. Deepwater Horizon Blowout. A lot of oil! 210,000 gallons per day at maximum Estimated 175 million gallons total Volume of 1 class room is about: 150,000 gal
E N D
GULF OIL SPILL An Engineering Challenge For Future Generations ….and that means YOU!
150 mi 150 mi
Deepwater Horizon Blowout • A lot of oil! • 210,000 gallons per day at maximum • Estimated 175 million gallons total • Volume of 1 class room is about: 150,000 gal • Over 1,000 classrooms of oil! • About 75% still in the ocean
Deepwater Horizon Blowout • Blowout was 5,000 ft (1 mi) underwater • Most of the oil rises to the surface because oil is less dense than water. • Some of the oil gets trapped in underwater currents and can travel throughout the ocean
Clean-up Methods • Dispersants:break up large oil slicks into small particles • Booms: long floating tubes that are put on the water surface to contain an oil spill • Skimming: specially designed boats “scrape” the oil off of the surface • Absorbents: materials that can help “suck-up” the oil
Dispersants • Dispersants are chemical solvents or surfactants. • They don't eliminate oil, they make it less obvious by breaking it into small pieces which spread throughout the ocean. • The dispersant used by BP is toxic to microorganisms and fish eggs.
Booms • Help contain the oil slicks on the ocean surface • Used to protect shore line
Human Hair & Sheep’s Wool • Wool adsorbs oil • oil sticks to the hair • does not soak into it • Why? • Oleo-philic surface • Oleo = OIL • Philic = LOVING • “Oil-loving” • Attractive to oil!
Recycled Cellulose Material • Made of recycled natural plant material • Absorbs the moment it touches oil • This material is hydrophobic so it repels water while absorbing only oil
Oil Absorbing Polymer • Envirobond 403 is a polymer specifically formulated to bond to crude oil • Bonds to hydrocarbons (oil) to form gel • Hydrophobic – doesn’t absorb water
Oil Clean-up Experiment • Follow the instructions on the handout • Record your results • Ask if you have any questions!
Credits and Appreciation Funding for this project was generously provided by a grant from the Oregon Engineering Technology Industry Council (ETIC) through the Oregon Pre-Engineering & Applied Sciences (OPAS) initiative. Center for Outreach in Science and Engineering for Youth (COSEY) is a collaboration between the colleges of Science and Engineering and Precollege Programs at Oregon State University.
Photo Credits • “An oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico from the deepwater horizon accident in 2010.” Retrieved from http://www.chem.ucla.edu/harding/IGOC/O/ oil.html • Pickens, B. (2010) “Oil covered seagull.” The top 10 benefits of the BP oil spill. Retrieved from http://nationallampoon.com/articles/the-top-10-benefits-of-the-bp-oil-spill • Warren, J. (2010) “Oil on the Chandeleur islands from a plane.” Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffreywarren/4590976462 / in/photostream/ • [Photograph of waves of oil] Retrieved from http://galerie.money.pl/ zanieczyszczone;ropa;plaze;australii, galeria,2164,2.html • BP P.L.C. (2010) [Photograph of booms surrounding the Chandeleur islands]. Retrieved at http://news.discovery.com/earth/bp-oil-spill-photos.html • Matter of Trust. “Miles of boom made at Felix’ Camp.” Retrieved at http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsPhotos.html • [Diagram of hair adsorbing oil]. Retrieved from http://wagn4u.blogspot.com/ 2010/ 06/how-you-can-help-gulf-region-following.html