Oil+Dispersant+Study

**Project Proposal** by Claire and Mara [] We will compare the effect of Dawn dish soap and Corexit in the dispersion of oil. Also, we will investigate the detrimental effects of Corexit in the environment because it only disperses oil, it does not get rid of it. ||
 * Project Topic || Oil Dispersant Study ||
 * Chemistry Concept || Testing for oxygenation levels and cloudiness ||
 * Hypothesis || Corexit lowers oxygenation levels and increases cloudiness in water because of dispersed oil, creating a poor environment for marine life ||
 * Journal Article || Berninger, J. P., Williams, E., & Brooks, B. W. (2011). An initial probabilistic hazard assessment of oil dispersants approved by the united states national contingency plan. //Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry//, //30//(7), 1704-1708. doi:10.1002/etc.532 ||
 * Lab Procedure- Source || This link is a lab that some students have done which recreates the conditions of the oil spill which we will try to copy in order to compare Dawn and Corexit
 * Apparatus and Chemicals Needed || * Corexit
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Dawn dish soap
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Digital titrator
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Magnetic stirrer
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Vegetable oil ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Safety Information || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Typical lab safety, nothing extreme ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">Other Information || <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif;">connects to the Deep Horizons oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico- animal life decreases ||


 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 150%;">Final Report **

__**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">Abstract **__

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Keywords: Corexit, dissolved oxygen level, spectrophotometer, transmittance, absorption.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF THE OIL DISPERSANT COREXIT ON WATER QUALITY. Mara Walli and Claire Flom-Staab. **<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">This lab investigated the use of the oil dispersant Corexit, and its effects on water quality. Corexit was used to help clean up the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and it successfully broke apart the oil. However, the effects on the water beneath the surface are in question. Both dissolved oxygen level and cloudiness were tested in the lab as measures of water quality, for these are two factors that determine the habitability of water. Much aquatic life requires at least 5.0 mg/L dissolved oxygen to survive, and unnaturally cloudy water due to pollutants can absorb more solar radiation, decreasing visibility and sunlight for the marine life. The oxygen levels, measured with a titration kit, started at a healthy 8.8 mg/L for saltwater, but decreased to 5.3 mg/L after oil and Corexit were added. Since these results suggest lower water qualities but do not determine whether the lower quality is due to the oil itself or the Corexit dispersant, further research was done to isolate the effect of oil and the effect of oil and Corexit. In this trial, the oxygen levels decreased equal amounts, to 3.3 and 3.2 mg/L, over a 72-hour period. Therefore, the oil itself was likely the main factor that affected the dissolved oxygen level, not the Corexit. Cloudiness was measured in terms of transmittance and absorption of light through the liquid using a spectrophotometer. The saltwater was clear, with 100% transmittance and .000 absorption. The water with Corexit was very cloudy, with 55.5% transmittance and .256 absorption after the Corexit had been in the solution for over 24 hours. The study suggests that only the oil caused the decrease in dissolved oxygen level, potentially to dangerously low levels, and only the Corexit caused the increased cloudiness. Therefore, further research on the negative effects of cloudiness in terms of temperature and pH would shed more light on the negative effects of Corexit.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__**Lab Apparatus**__



<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Figure 1: Titration for dissolved oxygen level Figure 2: Spectrophotometer

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">__**Summary Graphics**__







<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 120%;">**__Citations__**

COREXIT® Technology. (n.d.) //Nalco: An Ecolab Company//. Retrieved February 12, 2012, from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Denny, M. W., Gaines, S. D., Cummings, M., & Johnsen, S. (2007). Lights, Effects of. //Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores// (pp. 327-330). Berkeley: University of California Press. Retrieved May 22, 2012, from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Dissolved Oxygen and Water Quality. (n.d.). //Commonwealth of Kentucky//. Retrieved February 7, <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">2012, from [] = = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Mulkins-Phillips, G. J., & Steware, J. (1974). Effect of Four Dispersants on Biodegradation and Growth of Bacteria on Crude Oil. //American Society for Microbiology//, //28//(4), 547-552. Retrieved May 16, 2012, from []

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">NOAA - No Dead Zones Observed or Expected as Part of BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. (2010, November 7). //NOAA - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration//. Retrieved May 16, 2012, from []

Oil Dispersion and How it Works [Video file]. Retrieved from []

Schmidt, C.W. (2010). Between the devil and the deep blue sea. //Environmental Health Perspectives, 142, A338-A344//.

// Spectrophotometer Laboratory Manual //. (1996). Batavia: Flinn Scientific, Inc..

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">Stewart, P., Tedaldi, D., Lewis, A., & Goldman, E. (1993). Biodegradation Rates of Crude Oil in Seawater. //Water Environment Research,//, //65//(7), 845-848. Retrieved May 16, 2012, from [] = = <span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 16px;">The Effects Of Chemical Dispersants On Marine Life And The Environment | Eco Green Projects. (2010, June 13). //Eco Green Projects- Live Green, Live Friendly//. Retrieved May 16, 2012, from [] = = Water Pollution. (n.d.). //Safe Drinking Water Foundation//. Retrieved Feb. 13, 2012. []

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