A Non Toxic Alternative to Traditional Oil Spill Dispersants

A Non Toxic Alternative to Traditional Dispersants

With strong evidence suggesting that chemical oil spill dispersants may be causing far more damage than they prevent the search is on for better methods to clean up oil spills.

Developments in non-toxic surfactant technology are now opening up new doors in oil spill response methods. These methods allow for the addition of chemical control agents to an oil spill without the increased toxicity associated with traditional chemical dispersants.

Envirofluid has been at the forefront in Australia in pioneering these new methods and has developed a break through product in the fight against oil spills. Triple7 Bio Concentrate is an AMSA listed Oil Herding & Surface Cleaning Agent which opens us a range of new chemical response options based on the following four principles:

1. Break up an oil spill without increasing oil toxicity

Breaking up an oil spill assists in reducing it’s impact on surface life, accelerates evaporation and assists in biodegradation. Traditional dispersants do this by creating an emulsion which allows the oil to mix throughout the water column. This makes the oil more bio-available to subsurface organisms, vastly increasing its toxic effects.

The Envirofluid approach uses advanced surfactant technology to break up an oil spill on the surface without forming an emulsion or allowing the oil to enter the underwater environment. This achieves a similar result to dispersants without the negative environmental impacts.

2. Prevent oil from setting on the sea floor

Dispersants allow oil to sink beneath the water surface where it can eventually settle on the sea floor causing serious environmental damage. For this reason dispersants are banned for use in shallow waters and coastal areas where sea floor life is most at risk.

By restricting it action to the sea surface Triple7 Bio Concentrate can be used safely in shallow water environments including reefs and sensitive coastal habitats.

3. Reduce impacts of surface oil

The impacts of surface oil are felt most off all near coastlines where birds, sea mammals and shore life is acutely effected.

Triple7 Bio Concentrate enhances the efficiency of protective booms, oil skimmers and sorbents used to clean-up surface oil. As a surface cleaning agent the product also provides a way to lift and separate oil from rocks and other coastal features without increasing the toxicity of the oil.

4. Avoid introducing new toxins

Many oil dispersants can be as toxic as the oil spill itself and, being water soluble they enter the marine environment directly where they have an immediate impact. This toxicity also places oil spill cleanup teams at risk from adverse health effects.

Triple7 Bio Contentrate is non-toxic to marine life. Ecotoxicty for the product meets the Australian 2012 Oil Spill Control Agents requirements and is overall practically non-toxic (IMO/GESAMP classification.) Reference ESA TR1034 May 2013.

The product does not contain chemicals determined by the EPA (Environmental Protection Authority) or WHS (Work Health & Safety) to be carcinogenic or a suspected carcinogen.

A Break Through in Oil Spill Response Technology

Key benefits:

• Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) Listed
• Suitable for shallow water Australian Oil Spills
• Alternative to Traditional Oil Spill Dispersants
• Non-Toxic and Non-Hazardous
• Will Not Harm Environment or Marine Life
• Effective on all Oils Including Heavy Crude

To find out more visit the Triple7 Bio Concentrate product page for more information >