Research Article

Bioremediating Oil Spills in Nutrient Poor Ocean Waters Using Fertilized Clay Mineral Flakes: Some Experimental Constraints

Table 1

O2 concentrations (ml/L) in solution (shown in Figure 3) measured over a period of 100 hours. The samples (1–3) were extracted and measured 24 hours after O2 flushing of the gas-tight batch experiments.

Gulf coast waterGulf coast waterGulf coast water
OilOilOil
FertilizerFertilized clay

Start O2 (ml/L)6.221.115.09
Time to half O2 4.4 hr1 hr<15 min
Time to 0.01 ml/L 86.5 hr9 hr5 hr
Rate enhancementControl×4.4>17.6
Observations (after 2 months)Clear water with floating clumps of oilBrown turbid water with thick oil coatings on wall of containerBrown turbid water with oil droplets