scholarly journals Tagging Oil-Residues in Tankers with Microparticles

1973 ◽  
Vol 1973 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-90
Author(s):  
P. O. Agnedal

ABSTRACT The increase in pollution by oil spills in the Baltic has lead to the Minister of Transport to set up a committee with the task to find methods for identifying ships responsible for oil spills. A preliminary study of the oil transport situation in Sweden had shown that the fingerprint method for identification will be difficult to use. The study also showed that microparticles of plastic and metal as tags might be used. In most cases the oil spills in the Baltic are due to pumping out residues mixed with ballast. In the present paper the merits of different methods for tagging these residues, including the cost aspect, are treated as well as identification of recovered oil samples. In a field experiment the oil residues in a tanker were tagged. Some of its tanks were tagged with plastic particles and some with metal particles. The tanks were treated in different ways for cleaning and the oil-water mixtures were then pumped out in the sea under controlled conditions. The different spills were kept inside an enclosure for a fortnight and samples were taken every day. In all analysed samples the tagged substance could be recovered and identified. A plan for testing this method on a larger scale is under preparation.

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Jezierska-Tys ◽  
A. Rutkowska

Abstract The effect of chemicals (Reglone 200 SL and Elastiq 550 EC) on soil microorganisms and their enzymatic activity was estimated. The study was conducted in a field experiment which was set up in the split-block design and comprised three treatments. Soil samples were taken six times, twice in each year of study. The results showed that the application of chemicals generally had no negative effect on the number of soil microorganisms. The application of Reglone 200 SL caused an increase of proteolytic and ureolytic activity and affected the activity of dehydrogenases, acid and alkaline phosphatases in the soil. The soil subjected of Elastiq 550 EC was characterized by lower activity of dehydrogenases, protease, urease and alkaline phosphatase.


2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110285
Author(s):  
Marietta Radomska ◽  
Cecilia Åsberg

As the planet’s largest ecosystem, oceans stabilise climate, produce oxygen, store CO2 and host unfathomable biodiversity at a deep time-scale. In recent decades, scientific assessments have indicated that the oceans are seriously degraded to the detriment of most near-future societies. Human-induced impacts range from climate change, ocean acidification, loss of biodiversity, eutrophication and marine pollution to local degradation of marine and coastal environments. Such environmental violence takes form of both ‘spectacular’ events, like oil spills and ‘slow violence’, occurring gradually and out of sight. The purpose of this paper is to show four cases of coastal and marine forms of slow violence and to provide counter-accounts of how to reinvent our consumer imaginary at such locations, as well as to develop what is here referred to as ‘low-trophic theory,’ a situated ethical stance that attends to entanglements of consumption, food, violence, environmental adaptability and more-than-human care from the co-existential perspective of multispecies ethics. We combine field-philosophical case studies with insights from marine science, environmental art and cultural practices in the Baltic and North Sea region and feminist posthumanities. The paper shows that the oceanic imaginary is not a unified place, but rather, a set of forces, which requires renewed ethical approaches, conceptual inventiveness and practical creativity. Based on the case studies and examples presented, the authors conclude that the consideration of more-than-human ethical perspectives, provided by environmental arts and humanities is crucial for both research on nature and space, and for the flourishing of local multispecies communities. This paper thus inaugurates thinking and practice along the proposed here ethical stance of low-trophic theory, developed it along the methodological lines of feminist environmental posthumanities.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (8) ◽  
pp. 2246
Author(s):  
Georgia Charalampous ◽  
Efsevia Fragkou ◽  
Konstantinos A. Kormas ◽  
Alexandre B. De Menezes ◽  
Paraskevi N. Polymenakou ◽  
...  

The diversity and degradation capacity of hydrocarbon-degrading consortia from surface and deep waters of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea were studied in time-series experiments. Microcosms were set up in ONR7a medium at in situ temperatures of 25 °C and 14 °C for the Surface and Deep consortia, respectively, and crude oil as the sole source of carbon. The Deep consortium was additionally investigated at 25 °C to allow the direct comparison of the degradation rates to the Surface consortium. In total, ~50% of the alkanes and ~15% of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were degraded in all treatments by Day 24. Approximately ~95% of the total biodegradation by the Deep consortium took place within 6 days regardless of temperature, whereas comparable levels of degradation were reached on Day 12 by the Surface consortium. Both consortia were dominated by well-known hydrocarbon-degrading taxa. Temperature played a significant role in shaping the Deep consortia communities with Pseudomonas and Pseudoalteromonas dominating at 25 °C and Alcanivorax at 14 °C. Overall, the Deep consortium showed a higher efficiency for hydrocarbon degradation within the first week following contamination, which is critical in the case of oil spills, and thus merits further investigation for its exploitation in bioremediation technologies tailored to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6585
Author(s):  
Mihhail Fetissov ◽  
Robert Aps ◽  
Floris Goerlandt ◽  
Holger Jänes ◽  
Jonne Kotta ◽  
...  

The Baltic Sea is a unique and sensitive brackish-water ecosystem vulnerable to damage from shipping activities. Despite high levels of maritime safety in the area, there is a continued risk of oil spills and associated harmful environmental impacts. Achieving common situational awareness between oil spill response decision makers and other actors, such as merchant vessel and Vessel Traffic Service center operators, is an important step to minimizing detrimental effects. This paper presents the Next-Generation Smart Response Web (NG-SRW), a web-based application to aid decision making concerning oil spill response. This tool aims to provide, dynamically and interactively, relevant information on oil spills. By integrating the analysis and visualization of dynamic spill features with the sensitivity of environmental elements and value of human uses, the benefits of potential response actions can be compared, helping to develop an appropriate response strategy. The oil spill process simulation enables the response authorities to judge better the complexity and dynamic behavior of the systems and processes behind the potential environmental impact assessment and thereby better control the oil combat action.


Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caimei Zhao ◽  
Lei Chen ◽  
Chuanming Yu ◽  
Binghua Hu ◽  
Haoxuan Huang ◽  
...  

Super-hydrophobic porous absorbent is a convenient, low-cost, efficient and environment-friendly material in the treatment of oil spills. In this work, a simple Pickering emulsion template method was employed to fabricate...


2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 263-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Finon

Nuclear phase-out policies and the European obligation to liberalise electricity markets could put the French nuclear option dramatically at risk by influencing social preferences or by constraining power producers' investment choices in the future. So far, the particular institutional set-up which has allowed the efficient build-up and operation of several series of standardised reactors preserves the stability of the main elements of the option. However, important adaptations to the evolving industrial and political environment occur and contribute to changing the option. Some institutional changes (such as local public inquiry, creation of a Parliamentary committee, independence of safety authorities) and divergence between industrial interests already allow debates on internal options such as reprocessing, type of waste management deposits, ordering of an advanced PWR. These changes improve the cost transparency, even if internalisation of nuclear externalities (cost of insurance, provisions for waste management) is still incomplete. However, when effective, this internalisation would not affect definitively the competitive position of the nuclear production because of the parallel internalisation of CO2 externalities from fossil fuel power generation in the official rationale. Consequently the real issue for the future of the nuclear option in France remains the preservation of social acceptability in the perception of nuclear risks.


2000 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 215-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric W.K. Tsang

Transaction cost theory has been the dominant theoretical lens used in the study of joint ventures. The purpose of this paper is to explain the formation of joint ventures from the resource-based perspective and to compare this perspective with transaction cost theory. By focusing on the cost aspect of a transaction, the transaction cost logic explains joint ventures in terms of market failure for intermediate inputs, asset specificity, and high uncertainty over specifying and monitoring performance. Putting more emphasis on the benefit side of a transaction, resource-based theory regards joint ventures as a means of exploiting and developing a firm's resources. The transaction cost and resource-based explanations are, to a certain extent, complementary. Taking the stance of theoretical pluralism, an attempt is made to synthesize the two theories into a more comprehensive perspective which takes both costs and benefits into account.


Author(s):  
Mark V. Martin ◽  
Kosuke Ishii

Abstract This paper further develops the previously introduced concept of Design for Variety (DFV). Our study seeks a tool that enables product managers to estimate the cost of introducing variety into their product line. This will help them to maximize market coverage while maintaining required profit margins. Variety incurs many indirect costs that are not always well understood or are difficult to capture. These costs are often not considered by people making the decision about introducing variety. Our DFV model attempts to capture these indirect costs through the measurement of three indices: commonality, differentiation point, and set-up cost. These indices will allow the decision makers to estimate some of the generally unmeasurable costs of providing variety. We conclude this paper by discussing our validation plans for testing the model in industry.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vilnis Frishfelds ◽  
Juris Sennikovs ◽  
Uldis Bethers ◽  
Jens Murawski ◽  
Andrejs Timuhins

This study investigates a water transport features by extending Copernicus Marine Environment Service (CMEMS) to the Liepaja coast-port-channel-lake system with a two-way nested model. The Liepaja lake and Liepaja port are connected by Trade channel. The Liepaja port has three gates—the openings in wave breakers connecting the port aquatory with the Baltic sea. Each of gates has a corresponding dredged channel for securing the navigation. A hydrodynamic model is set up to study the flow and water level in this system. The area of the port gates, port and Trade channel are resolved by 33 m grid. The model results are verified against currents and sea level observations inside/outside port, Trade channel and Liepaja lake. Results and observations show that strong currents occur in the Trade channel in case of rapid sea level change in Baltic sea despite the Trade channel is rather shallow at the connection with Liepaja lake. The northern part of the Liepaja lake gets filled with brackish water during storm surge events. The channel has notable alternating current also during a relatively calm weather due to the port seiches. Long and narrow shape of the channel implies the Helmholtz type oscillations between the lake and the port with a period in approximately semidiurnal range. Hydrodynamic simulations describe well these oscillations but the phase of hourly scale oscillations in the port may differ in case of weak external forcing. Water exchange is significantly increased by the transit (gate to gate) sea currents. This transit flow usually occurs between South or Central gate and the North gate carrying sea water into the port. Northward flow of the surface layer is more characteristic in the port aquatory due the prevailing south-western winds. There are intense morphological processes at the coastline and underwater slope near the Liepaja port due to a sandy western coastline of Latvia, long fetch of the waves and strong currents at the port gates. Liepaja port is one of the Latvian ports in HywasPort operational service of hydrodynamics, waves and siltation.


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