OIL SPILL DISPERSANTS – CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE OUTLOOK

Abstract

ABSTRACT The use of chemical dispersants for the handling of oil spills has had a brief but highly turbulent history. Despite extensive laboratory data and field application experience, their role in oil spill cleanup is still controversial. This paper reviews some of this past history as background in order to derive the pros and cons regarding their use. Opinions vary from an extreme of no use whatsoever to an acceptance of this as the only practical technique to combat an oil spill under rough sea conditions. Improvements in the formulation of dispersants during the past several years are reviewed. These innovations involve modifications to improve effectiveness, application techniques and toxicological properties. A brief outline of the mechanism of dispersing is presented to permit a better understanding of these formulation modifications and the manner in which said changes influence dispersant properties. The future outlook for dispersants, based on current and anticipated research in this field, is also discussed. This research involves biological as well as operational aspects of dispersants.