OCEAN BITUMEN SPILL
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Ocean Bitumen Spill
Major progress has been achieved across the world with regard to oil and gas exploration. Various techniques are used to extract bitumen. Methods employed include surface mining that involves scraping the ground until you get the oil in the sand. In-situ production can as well be used for the same purpose to extract bitumen. This criterion relies on the steam injected into the well making the bitumen flow up in a similar way oil rises up the pipes. Upon reaching the surface separation is done to remove bitumen from water. However, their exploration comes with serious environmental issues that must be addressed during environmental impact assessments. Key among the issues is pollution to land, water, and air. The report herein captures the effects of oil spillage and its consequences to aquatic life and human beings.
Using the case study involving the BP Gulf oil spill, it is emergent that bitumen spillage is accompanied by a plethora of consequences to the environment and its people. In the event that oil spillage occurs, apt efforts must be made to mitigate the impending dangers of the spillage. Various viable methods used to curb the adverse effects are being explored.
Occurrences at deep-water horizons
The BP Gulf oil spill resulted from a methane gas leakage through the steel pipes during the drilling process. This was made possible after the gas interacted with sparks from the machinery, resulting in explosions at the site. When an explosion occurred, it was unfortunate that none of the companies had handled such a catastrophe (Biello, 2010). However, a company claimed to have had experience in even bigger explosions. The company was ExxonMobil. Later, it turned out that the tricks employed at first didn't work. This was because they used techniques that were designed for shallow water spills. In the second attempt tire rubber, drilling mud and golf ball was put into the wells but all were unsuccessful. The third attempt of pumping mud and cement into the well resulted in the best available method of sealing the well permanently.
During oil spillage in the oceans after wells blow out, water which serves as the habitat for various living things is affected by pollution. To control the effects of oil on water various measures are undertaken so as not to destabilize the ecosystem. In the case of BP Gulf oil spill, it took long before a remedy was found. This led to several creatures being sickened or killed. When oil spilled on the Gulf of Mexico, use of chemical dispersants (COREXIT 9500) was used to curb the adverse effects of oil on the environment. This was used as a compromise as still, they were using pollution to curb pollution. This was advantageous in the sense that it helped in safeguarding the marshes of Louisiana and beaches of Florida though not generally effective for the purpose intended. The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has always been perturbed about the chemical being used (COREXIT 9500) due to the toxicity levels it carries. However, it has been a problem to scrap it off since from the industry generated data available offers no other chemicals with little or no toxicity (Biello, 2010). This leaves the agency with no option other than to protect the shores just to lessen the general environmental impact.
With oil in water, the chemical dispersants work by converting the oil into simple food for naturally occurring microbes thereby preventing the oil from reaching the shores. Oil when at the ocean shores takes a longer period to break down. Deep in the water horizon, when oil spills, numerous ecological effects follow. As at 2011, there still remain 30M gallons of oil from the BP Gulf spill half of which rests on the ocean floor (Juhasz, 2015). This remains a threat to the ecosystem. The damage ranges from killing the ocean creatures or causing harm. This in return affects their food chain. Among the organisms at risk is the phytoplankton which is the sea vegetable that immensely produces the planet's oxygen. It is noted that the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most ecologically diverse water bodies that provide home to over 15000 marine creatures. The oil spill has as well endangered some species such as the sea turtle, bald eagles, Florida manatees and the whooping cranes.
Solutions
According to (Biello, 2010). (COREXIT 9500) was not only harmful but also counterproductive. To avert the dangers of COREXIT 9500, use of microbes has been seen to be the most viable option to pursue. Microbes and bacteria work by eating the hydrocarbons in oil. When applied in huge numbers, the microbes can slowly eat the long chains of the hydrocarbons. Chemical dispersants work by breaking down the long chains into simpler forms thus making it easy for the microbes to eat the oil. When the oil is in smaller bits, microbial degradation takes effect faster than when left in longer and complex chains.