Potential application of oil-suspended particulate matter aggregates (OSA) on the remediation of reflective beaches impacted by petroleum: a mesocosm simulation

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 26; no. 18; pp. 18071 - 18083
• Main Authors: Silva, Carine S., de Oliveira, Olivia M. C., Moreira, Icaro T. A., Queiroz, Antonio F. S., de Almeida, Marcos, Silva, Jessica V. L., da Silva Andrade, Igor Oliveira
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.06.2019
• Subjects: Adsorption; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; DECAPAGE Project: Hydrocarbon degradation in coastal sediments; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Restoration and Remediation - methods; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Kinetics; Models, Theoretical; Particulate Matter - chemistry; Petroleum - analysis; Petroleum Pollution - analysis; Surface Properties; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollution Control; Spill remediation; Sediment; Suspended particulate matter; Total petroleum hydrocarbons; Beach cleaning; Aggregate oil; OSA; TPH
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-015-5234-8

This paper presents the oil-suspended particulate matter aggregate (OSA) resulted from the interaction of droplets of dispersed oil in a water column and particulate matter. This structure reduces the adhesion of oil on solid surfaces, promotes dispersion, and may accelerate degradation processes. The effects of the addition of fine sediments (clay + silt) on the formation of OSA, their impact on the dispersion and degradation of the oil, and their potential use in recovering reflective sandy beaches were evaluated in a mesoscale simulation model. Two simulations were performed (21 days), in the absence and presence of fine sediments, with four units in each simulation using oil from the Recôncavo Basin. The results showed that the use of fine sediment increased the dispersion of the oil in the water column up to four times in relation to the sandy sediment. There was no evidence of the transport of hydrocarbons in bottom sediments associated with fine sediments that would have accelerated the dispersion and degradation rates of the oil. Most of the OSA that formed in this process remained in the water column, where the degradation processes were more effective. Over the 21 days of simulation, we observed a 40 % reduction on average of the levels of saturated hydrocarbons staining the surface oil.