Chemical Dispersants
Dispersants have been used to clean up oil spills for over half of a century. These chemicals utilize multiple mechanisms to break up the oil when it is present in oil slicks and emulsified throughout the water column. The mechanisms of the chemicals combined with the turbulence of the ocean mixing the compounds, is an effective way in which to break up the oil into smaller and smaller droplets. When the oil is dispersed to form small droplets, it becomes more bioavailable to microorganisms in the ocean, hastening its natural degradation. Additionally, the oil is much less toxic when it exists in this form when compared to large oil slicks. This study carried out by scientists at the University of Texas this year proved that the addition of dispersants to Light Louisiana Sweet Crude oil does in fact increase the rate of biodegradation. They confirmed that it helps in the case where the oil is in direct sunlight and when sunlight does not reach the oil.
References
Bacosa, H. P., Erdner, D. L., & Liu, Z. (2015). Differentiating the roles of photooxidation and biodegradation in the weathering of Light Louisiana Sweet crude oil
in surface water from the Deepwater Horizon site. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 95(1), 265–272. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.005
in surface water from the Deepwater Horizon site. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 95(1), 265–272. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.005