Novel process developed for oil spill clean ups

A Lithuanian company has developed an innovative technique to effectively clean up oil spills from soil without the use of harmful chemicals.

The new process could help the oil industry to reduce the damaging effect of a spill on nature and allow the soil to be used to grow all number of plants.

Eureka developed the process along with Lithuanian company Biocentras, and academic partners.

During the clean up technique, the soil is washed out using a water solution of biosurfactant and then separated, with the collected oil suitable for use.

This process is repeated up to ten times and precedes treatment with micro-organisms to lower contamination concentration and phytoremediation to decrease pollutants.

The process will take around one year to complete from start to finish, depending on location and the level of contamination.

"The bacteria used in the process lie dormant in negative temperatures, but then come to life as the temperature rises. However, some organisms can start to degrade oil at temperatures that are only a little more than is required to melt ice," said Monika Kavaliauske, manager at Biocentras.

"In fact, it is much more effective in warmer climates," she added.