Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Marine oil spills continue to be a major environmental concern to the petroleum industry, regulators and the public. When the spilled oil reaches coast, it can damage the coastal ecosystems and cause socioeconomic impacts by disrupting subsistence, commercial and recreational activities and resources. Once on shore, oil cleanup operations can be expensive and time consuming. Some coastal remediation methods including physical removal, sediment relocation, and bioremediation have been studied. However, in comparison with the increasing pressure of marine oil spill pollution, there is still a lack of effective initiatives for oil spill response. Surface washing agents can be used to accelerate the removal of stranded oil by altering the rheological properties of oil or the interfacial properties between oil/water phases. However, the fate and transport of oil in the impacted shorelines with various substrate components before cleanup are still not clear; the green surface washing agents for efficient oil removal from shoreline are not available; there is also a lack of shoreline oil response guide for the implementation of green surface washing agents in the complicated environment. The objective of this project is to develop the green surface washing methods for supporting oil spill response. In detail, the proposed project involves the following four tasks: (i) characterization of oil transport in the shoreline with multiple sediment components, (ii) development of green functional washing agents, (iii) performance assessment of green functional washing fluid for enhanced oil removal, and (iv) process optimization and practice guide for applications in the complicated environment. The proposed project represents an integration of innovative efforts beyond established approaches in oil spill response. In this project, a novel green shoreline surface washing technique will be developed to treat the shoreline impacted by spilled oil. The use of environment-friendly and low-cost green functional washing fluid addresses a completely new theory for oil spill control and it may provide a unique direction for the future development of sustainable oil spill response strategy. Moreover, the study can help reveal the new mechanism of oil transport in the shoreline substrates and oil removal in washing process. These washing technologies can be used to deal with various shoreline oiling scenarios, and generate desired pollution control plans. The project will facilitate inter-partner collaboration and policy delivery through provision of a scientific proof regarding the use of green surface washing agents. Technologies developed through this initiative will benefit Canada by providing efficient approaches for oil spill risk mitigation subject to various social, economic and environmental criteria. The HQPs will be trained for tackling spill response problems during this five-year project.