Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device)
Global demand for petroleum keeps increasing while traditional supplies decline. One alternative to the use of conventional crude oils is the utilization of Canadian bitumen. Raw bitumen is a dense, viscous, semi-liquid that is diluted with lighter crude oil to permit its transport through pipelines...
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doaj-6744de31be7c46378f0d7deaa90b56a72021-04-02T06:15:21ZengMDPI AGJournal of Marine Science and Engineering2077-13122015-10-01341244125910.3390/jmse3041244jmse3041244Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device)Nusrat Jahan0Jason Fawcett1Thomas L. King2Alexander M. McPherson3Katherine N. Robertson4Ulrike Werner-Zwanziger5Jason A. C. Clyburne6Atlantic Centre for Green Chemistry, Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, CanadaAtlantic Centre for Green Chemistry, Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, CanadaCentre for Offshore Oil, Gas and Energy Research, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, NS B2Y 4A2, CanadaAtlantic Centre for Green Chemistry, Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, CanadaAtlantic Centre for Green Chemistry, Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, CanadaDepartment of Chemistry and Institute for Research in Materials, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4J3, CanadaAtlantic Centre for Green Chemistry, Departments of Chemistry and Environmental Science, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS B3H 3C3, CanadaGlobal demand for petroleum keeps increasing while traditional supplies decline. One alternative to the use of conventional crude oils is the utilization of Canadian bitumen. Raw bitumen is a dense, viscous, semi-liquid that is diluted with lighter crude oil to permit its transport through pipelines to terminals where it can then be shipped to global markets. When spilled, it naturally weathers to its original form and becomes dense enough to sink in aquatic systems. This severely limits oil spill recovery and remediation options. Here we report on the application of charred hay as a method for modifying the surface behavior of bitumen in aquatic environments. Waste or surplus hay is abundant in North America. Its surface can easily be modified through charring and/or chemical treatment. We have characterized the modified and charred hay using solid-state NMR, contact angle measurements and infrared spectroscopy. Tests of these materials to treat spilled bitumen in model aquatic systems have been undertaken. Our results indicate that bitumen spills on water will retain their buoyancy for longer periods after treatment with charred hay, or charred hay coated with calcium oxide, improving recovery options.http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/3/4/1244petroleumbitumendilbitcrude oilasphalteneremediationspillrecoveryhayflotation |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nusrat Jahan Jason Fawcett Thomas L. King Alexander M. McPherson Katherine N. Robertson Ulrike Werner-Zwanziger Jason A. C. Clyburne |
spellingShingle |
Nusrat Jahan Jason Fawcett Thomas L. King Alexander M. McPherson Katherine N. Robertson Ulrike Werner-Zwanziger Jason A. C. Clyburne Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device) Journal of Marine Science and Engineering petroleum bitumen dilbit crude oil asphaltene remediation spill recovery hay flotation |
author_facet |
Nusrat Jahan Jason Fawcett Thomas L. King Alexander M. McPherson Katherine N. Robertson Ulrike Werner-Zwanziger Jason A. C. Clyburne |
author_sort |
Nusrat Jahan |
title |
Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device) |
title_short |
Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device) |
title_full |
Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device) |
title_fullStr |
Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Bitumen on Water: Charred Hay as a PFD (Petroleum Flotation Device) |
title_sort |
bitumen on water: charred hay as a pfd (petroleum flotation device) |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering |
issn |
2077-1312 |
publishDate |
2015-10-01 |
description |
Global demand for petroleum keeps increasing while traditional supplies decline. One alternative to the use of conventional crude oils is the utilization of Canadian bitumen. Raw bitumen is a dense, viscous, semi-liquid that is diluted with lighter crude oil to permit its transport through pipelines to terminals where it can then be shipped to global markets. When spilled, it naturally weathers to its original form and becomes dense enough to sink in aquatic systems. This severely limits oil spill recovery and remediation options. Here we report on the application of charred hay as a method for modifying the surface behavior of bitumen in aquatic environments. Waste or surplus hay is abundant in North America. Its surface can easily be modified through charring and/or chemical treatment. We have characterized the modified and charred hay using solid-state NMR, contact angle measurements and infrared spectroscopy. Tests of these materials to treat spilled bitumen in model aquatic systems have been undertaken. Our results indicate that bitumen spills on water will retain their buoyancy for longer periods after treatment with charred hay, or charred hay coated with calcium oxide, improving recovery options. |
topic |
petroleum bitumen dilbit crude oil asphaltene remediation spill recovery hay flotation |
url |
http://www.mdpi.com/2077-1312/3/4/1244 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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