BLACK OIL DISPOSAL TECHNIQUES

One of the most complex and frustrating problems encountered in any oil spill is the disposal of recovered product. This paper will discuss an alternative utilizing relatively simple and inexpensive techniques as developed in the Chesapeake Bay Spill of February 1976, in which 125,000 gallons of contaminated black oil was burned at a total cost of $7,000. This is not, however, an endorsement of burning as a more desirable method, nor an endorsement of any particular product or brand, but rather a "limited application" technique to be considered where warranted. Indeed, the varying degrees of air pollution problems generated and their effect on ambient air quality standards may preclude any burning at all. Other alternatives must be considered, which could be more feasible or acceptable, depending on the local problems confronted in each instance. Therefore, other methods explored and exhausted before resorting to the brush burner are briefly mentioned, such as recycling, road use, burial, and a mechanical pit burner. The main thrust of this paper is the use of the brush burner, a compact gasoline powered propeller fan which forces a high volume air supply to sustain a fire hot enough to burn contaminated black oil. Given the requisite circumstances--a relatively isolated and unpolluted area, a high water table which precluded pit- burning or burial, and very large quantities of recovered product--the brush burner proved to be an efficient, convenient, and highly cost effective disposal technique.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Proceedings of the 1977 Oil Spill Conference, March 8-10, 1977, New Orlans, Louisiana. Sponsored by American Petroleum Institute, Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Coast Guard.
• Corporate Authors:

  American Petroleum Institute

  1220 L Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20005-4070
• Authors:
  • Wise, N
  • Brunk, P A
• Conference:
  • Proceedings of the 1977 Oil Spill Conference, March 8-10, 1977, New Orlans, Louisiana. Sponsored by American Petroleum Institute, Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Coast Guard.
• Publication Date: 1977-3

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 277-279

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Oil spill cleanup; Water quality management
• Old TRIS Terms: Oil spill disposal
• Subject Areas: Environment; Marine Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00152041
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: American Petroleum Institute
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: May 31 1977 12:00AM