What happened to all the oil that spilled in to the Gulf of Mexico region this spring and summer? Scientists say the nontoxic elements became dinner for plankton.
During the spill, which began with an explosion, fire and sinking of the BP oil rig, Deepwater Horizon on April 20, 2010, an estimated 172 million gallons of oil poured into the ocean.
The nontoxic elements of the oil were eaten by plankton and therefore entered the food web.
This study did not focus on the toxic parts of the oil that concerns people. It tracked the basic element in oil, carbon as it moved into the food web.
Scientists are concerned that if the nontoxic elements are moving through the food web so quickly, what happened to the toxic parts?
With the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico growing everyday, people around the country are trying to find ways to clean it up. Just imagine if the solution to the spill was this simple: sprinkle a small amount of a non-toxic powder onto the layer of oil and in seconds the powder bonds to the oil, forming a sponge-like material that can be easily removed from the surface of the water.
It’s more than just a dream… a form of superabsorbent polymer technology is changing the way environmental scientists approach oil spill and waste management problems. Enviro-Bond 403 Polymer was created by Larry Thompson and bonds quickly and safely to liquid hydrocarbons including crude oil, diesel fuel and gasoline. The bonding is so complete that it literally encapsulates the liquid hydrocarbons in just seconds.
The oil begins to hook onto the dry polymer and turns it into something that can be picked up by a crane. The material can then be burned and used for energy and it doesn’t release any bad byproducts into the environment.
What happened to all the oil that spilled in to the Gulf of Mexico region this spring and summer? Scientists say the nontoxic elements became dinner for plankton.
