ESS

Oil Spill Lab

If we are going to continue to rely on fossil fuels we need to fully understand the risks associated with them. Oil spills have been occurring ever since we first began extracting it from the ground. While a lot of research has gone into preventing oil spills in the future, like stronger walls for the ships that transport oil, accidents do happen, and it is important that we have an action plan for when they do. As we saw in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, any accident can have long lasting negative effects. Today we will simulate an oil spill, and compare three methods that have been used in the past to clean them up. No matter how good we get at cleaning up oil spills there are a few things that we can always count on. One is that it will always be difficult to recover all the oil since it constantly washes onto beaches where it quickly sinks into the porous sand. There will also always be a danger to animals when a spill occurs.

Procedure

**Create a data table (Table 1) to record observations for each method**

Part 1: A skimmer

  1. Skimmers are boats that suck up the oil and water and separate them physically then return the water to the ocean. They “skim” the oil off the top of the water. A drawback to this method is that it works well only in calm water.
  2. We will be representing skimmers with plastic spoons. Try to remove as much oil as you can by skimming the plastic spoon across the surface. Remember you need to remove only the oil, not the water!
  3. Record your observations below. Take note of the efficiency, amount of waste produced, environmental impact, and energy used.

Part 2: Booms and Absorbents

  1. Booms are large floating “sausages” packed with absorbent materials. They can be hooked together and strung across a large area to trap oil. In rough seas however water can wash right over the top of them.
  2. You will now use cotton balls (absorbents) to try to remove the remaining oil.
  3. Note how heavy the cotton ball feels before and after
  4. After you have absorbed the oil, squeeze the liquid into the waste container, and put the cotton ball with the solid waste
  5. Record observations below, taking note of the same things you were asked about in part 1.

Part 3: Chemical Dispersants

  1. Chemical dispersants contain surfactants which break up the oil into small droplets that disperse into the ocean. There is still some debate over whether or not these chemicals will have a harmful effect on ocean life.
  2. Add a few drops of detergent to the middle of the remaining oil and observe.
  3. Stir the contents of the pan to simulate wind and tide and observe.
  4. Record observations below, taking note of the same things you were asked in the previous parts.

Once you have finished your experiments, compare the 4 methods in the table below. Rank the methods (1 = best) for each of the criteria in the table below

Table 2: ______

Method Criteria / Skimmer / Booms / Absorbents / Dispersants
Removal of Oil
Least amount of waste to dispose of
Most Environmentally Safe
Least Expensive

Discussion Questions:

  1. How did this experiment differ from the ocean? (Don’t write anything too obvious)
  2. What problems did you have with each method?
  3. Considering what you wrote in table 1, which method do you feel is the best? Why?
  4. What exactly is oil? How does it form?
  5. What are some reasons that oil is so widely used?
  6. What is net energy?
  7. Describe primary, secondary, and tertiary extraction of oil.
  8. How is oil refined? List each of the products of oil refining from the bottom to the top.
  9. What is OPEC? Which country has the highest oil reserves?
  10. What is oil shale, and where is most of it found?
  11. What is tar sand? Where is most of it found?
  12. How many gallons are in a barrel of oil?