Diversification of dispersants and efficiency analysis

Dispersants are chemical substances which used for the dispersion of oil from the water. It can be briefly described as liquid mixtures consisting of surfactant and solvent. These are applied by spraying as fine droplets on the oil layer at the sea surface in marine pollution. This process, which beginning with the use of detergents, was further developed during the response to each oil spill. There are many dispersant producer in the world, and using dates back to 1966. Moreover, using the chemical that respond promptly and effectively, also it is critical to consider the environmental impact of dispersants to the receiving environment. There is a need for research on eco-friendly alternatives to reduce environmental impacts and increase efficiency. This study; conducted to explore eco-friendly alternatives for available dispersants in global market. However, the dispersion efficiency of BKM in oil spills was compared with a commercially available dispersant at the laboratory. Thus, BKM is aimed to be an eco-friendly alternative to dispersants contain from several chemicals in the global market. Laboratory studies conducted according to the published method by EPA and Sorial et al. As a result of these studies, as the concentration of dispersant and BKM increases, the dispersion efficiency also increases. In addition, it might be said that the dispersion efficiency becomes stable as the concentration decreases for BKM. This may shed light on reducing the negative impacts on the marine ecosystem by pointing to less substance use in the response. This shows that eco-friendly alternatives for dispersants are possible. Besides, predicted that these alternatives can provide results that are at least as effective as dispersants. Considering the dispersion efficiency against mixing speeds for BKM, as in the studies reviewed, shall give more information about the dispersion of the substance. The laboratory studies carried with BKM can be continued with various types of oil, for eco-friendly alternatives and improve the results regarding the efficiency of these alternatives can be verified. Although it is easier to monitor the efficiency of dispersants in the laboratory than in the working sites, it is inevitable that laboratory tests do not represent the real conditions of the pressure and crisis environment within the scope of emergency response. Addressing similar studies with wave tank studies and sea trials may provide a different perspective to the process.