Be it oil, chemicals, or any other harmful substance, a spill is never acceptable. Birds and animals cannot function when they are drenched in oil, and chemicals tend to ruin the balance of nature in general. In the event of such an accident, the spill containment is needed.
These spills are impervious to sponge or soak strategies, so a new technique has been created - block and drain. Once oil or toxic chemicals infiltrate a body of water, there is no saying how far they could go and how much damage they can create. You can prevent a spill by placing a bladder at the output point of a drainage system.
Liquids naturally mix and behave in set ways, but to stop them is incredibly difficult. This is a problem with oil, as it drifts in and on the water and moves with the flow of a stream. Even though containment is not ideal, it is far more preferable than failed clean-up attempts.
Clean-up attempts include the use of biological agents or micro-organisms to break down the oil and eventually remove it. A weakness in the makeup of oil is that it can burn even if it is in water, and that is a common remedy. This method has a lot of negative consequences, and it can run out of control very quickly.
Oil floats in water, so you can skim it off the surface, create a dredge line, or make use of chemical thinning agents. While all of these techniques have some merit, they do not really solve the problem at hand. Dispersants are toxic and the dispersed oiled droplets could move to deeper water harming corals.
A more common method is the use of solidifying agents that turn the spilled liquid oil into semi-solid, rubber-like materials. Once the chemical has been applied, the hardened oil floats, and cleaners then take it away. The secret to the solidifier is that it is non-toxic, and dry, so it can't infiltrate the water supply.
Cleaning up oil is messy, but straightforward - chemical spills pose a lot more problems if they are left uncontained. A wide variety of chemicals are transported all over the world, so you first need to find out what you are dealing with. You are in a serious situation that calls for expert knowledge if you find that the chemical is toxic.
Supervisors or people in authority in the affected area should immediately secure the place and initiate evacuation. Everyone near and around the area should be made aware of what's going on and therefore avoid getting contaminated. If things get extremely dangerous, contact emergency services.
It is obviously preferable for things to never escalate like this. It is for this reason that spill containment is so important. Some substances spread outside of the primary containment area, and thus a second control system is put in place.
The most commonly used technique for secondary containment used to involve concrete. These barriers have been phased out in favor of cheaper, and more effective, steel options. With whatever method or material, the goal is always to lessen damage to life and property.
These spills are impervious to sponge or soak strategies, so a new technique has been created - block and drain. Once oil or toxic chemicals infiltrate a body of water, there is no saying how far they could go and how much damage they can create. You can prevent a spill by placing a bladder at the output point of a drainage system.
Liquids naturally mix and behave in set ways, but to stop them is incredibly difficult. This is a problem with oil, as it drifts in and on the water and moves with the flow of a stream. Even though containment is not ideal, it is far more preferable than failed clean-up attempts.
Clean-up attempts include the use of biological agents or micro-organisms to break down the oil and eventually remove it. A weakness in the makeup of oil is that it can burn even if it is in water, and that is a common remedy. This method has a lot of negative consequences, and it can run out of control very quickly.
Oil floats in water, so you can skim it off the surface, create a dredge line, or make use of chemical thinning agents. While all of these techniques have some merit, they do not really solve the problem at hand. Dispersants are toxic and the dispersed oiled droplets could move to deeper water harming corals.
A more common method is the use of solidifying agents that turn the spilled liquid oil into semi-solid, rubber-like materials. Once the chemical has been applied, the hardened oil floats, and cleaners then take it away. The secret to the solidifier is that it is non-toxic, and dry, so it can't infiltrate the water supply.
Cleaning up oil is messy, but straightforward - chemical spills pose a lot more problems if they are left uncontained. A wide variety of chemicals are transported all over the world, so you first need to find out what you are dealing with. You are in a serious situation that calls for expert knowledge if you find that the chemical is toxic.
Supervisors or people in authority in the affected area should immediately secure the place and initiate evacuation. Everyone near and around the area should be made aware of what's going on and therefore avoid getting contaminated. If things get extremely dangerous, contact emergency services.
It is obviously preferable for things to never escalate like this. It is for this reason that spill containment is so important. Some substances spread outside of the primary containment area, and thus a second control system is put in place.
The most commonly used technique for secondary containment used to involve concrete. These barriers have been phased out in favor of cheaper, and more effective, steel options. With whatever method or material, the goal is always to lessen damage to life and property.
0 comments:
Post a Comment