Bitterly cold weather is impacting a crude oil spill clean up effort about 27 kilometres from Red Earth Creek in northern Alberta. The Alberta Energy Regulator says 337 barrels (60,000 litres) poured from a Canadian Natural Resources pipeline into muskeg. There are no reports of impact to wildlife. An incident report by the regulator states that a mechanical […]
One man’s unique method of cleaning up oil spills in water
Rob interviews accelerator physicist Arden Warner of Fermilab about his new concept for cleaning up oil spills in water.
This oil absorbing sponge could change everything
Rob chats with EMPA researcher Philippe Tingaut via Skype about the oil-only absorbing sponge they’ve developed.
Speeding up nature’s oil spill cleaning process
Imagine if oil spills could be completely cleaned up soon after a marine accident. And this could be made possible thanks to none other than warrior microorganisms who attacked and completely broke down the oil. The latter might sound like a science fiction movie, but it actually happens in nature. Regardless of human methods used […]
Kinder Morgan studies impact a pipeline rupture could have on Fraser River
The environmental recovery from a “full bore” oil pipeline rupture into the lower Fraser River could take up to five years. That’s according to a study done as part of Kinder Morgan’s planning for its proposed $5.4-billion The study examined the environmental impact of a spill of 1.25 million litres of diluted bitumen into the […]
Shell looks to 2015 for Arctic drilling
Shell has applied for a permit to drill for oil in the Alaskan Arctic next summer. The company hasn’t made a final decision to persevere with summer drilling in the difficult location,but proposals submitted to Washington kept options open. The plan proposes two drilling rigs in the Chukchi Sea, producing more than 400,000 barrels a […]
Amnesty International takes aim at the Nigerian government and Shell
Amnesty International and other groups are accusing Shell Oil and the Nigerian government of doing little to clean up pollution caused by oil production in the Niger Delta . Oil production has contaminated the drinking water of at least 10 communities, but neither the Nigerian government nor Royal Dutch Shell‘s Nigeria subsidiary have taken effective […]
Understanding the immediate consequences of an oil spill
The fate of oil during the first day after an accidental oil spill is still poorly understood, with researchers often arriving on the scene only after several days. New findings from a field experiment carried out in the North Sea could help shape the emergency response in the immediate wake of disasters. It is well […]
Can a new sponge soak up an oil spill?
Is it possible a sponge has been made to soak up an oil spill? That’s what researchers say they have done in Switzerland. Empa Materials Science & Technology has created a highly absorbent sponge like material which is capable of separating oil from water. The good news continues as the sponge is made in an […]
Comment: Train riskier than pipeline for oil
People who are adamantly protesting the Northern Gateway pipeline’s tentative approval seem to forget one very important thing. Both the Canadian National and the Canadian Pacific Railways are ready to use “unit trains,” similar to the coal trains that rumble along to the Roberts Bank super port, but instead of coal, the trains will be […]