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An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters. Oil spills may be due to releases of crude oil from tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, as well as spills of refined petroleum products (such as gasoline, diesel) and their by-products, heavier fuels used by large ships such as bunker fuel, or the spill of any oily refuse or waste oil. Another significant route by which oil enters the marine environment is through natural oil seeps. We have graphs to show the number of oil spills in back few years:
The oil penetrates into the structure of the plumage of birds and animals, reducing its insulating ability, thus making the birds more vulnerable to temperature fluctuations and much less buoyant in the water. It also impairs or disables birds' flight abilities to forage and escape from predators. As they attempt to preen, birds typically ingest oil that covers their feathers, causing kidney damage,
altered liver function, and digestive tract irritation the oil penetrates into the structure of the plumage of birds. This and the limited for aging ability quickly cause dehydration and metabolic imbalances. Hormonal balance alteration
including changes in luteinizing protein can also result in some birds exposed to petroleum. Most birds affected by an oil spill die unless there is human intervention. Oil spills can be controlled by chemical dispersion, combustion, mechanical containment, and/or adsorption. We are to conserve oil and reduce the effects of oil spills with the help of human hair. Human hair is good adsorbents. Adsorption is the adhesion
of atoms, ions, bimolecular or molecules of gas, liquid, or dissolved solids to a surface. This process creates a film of the adsorbate (the molecules or atoms being accumulated) on the surface of the adsorbent. It differs from absorption, in which a fluid permeates or is dissolved by a liquid or solid. The
term sorption encompasses both processes, while desorption is the reverse of adsorption. It is a surface phenomenon. We will take a nylon cloth which is easily available in nature and is very cheap. We will put the human hair in that cloth and bind the cloth with the help of an electric band. This is called a hair boom. For the experiment we will take a beaker and put ocean water i.e. density of 3.8gof salt per 100ml of water and pour petrol
on that beaker .We will dip the hair boom in that beaker. After few minutes we will see that hair have started adsorbing oil. And later the oil is totally adsorbed by the hair boom. This is very efficient and could be used on a very large scale. Its low cost as it uses the hair which is badly disposed by the barbers .Our project will not only use that hair and reduce the effect of oil spill but also prevent soil pollution.
METHODOLOGY
Firstly we will take two beakers and wash them with clean water. We will make salt water with ocean water density of 3.8gramsof salt per 100ml of water. We will pour this water in the two beakers. In both the beakers pour petrol in sufficient quantity. Now we will take one sample of hair which is untreated with any kind of chemicals and put them in a nylon cloth and tie it with a elastic band. Name it hair boom A Now we will take the other sample of treated hair and again put them in nylon cloth and make a hair boom. Name it hair boom B. In beaker A put the sample of hair boom A and record the adsorption rate that is the quantity of hair required to totally adsorb oil. Do the same in beaker B and put the hair boom B and record the rate of adsorption. Record the difference in rate of adsorption.
CONCLUSION
After doing the whole procedure we came to the conclusion that the untreated hair (hair boom A) adsorbed 4.5% more crude oil than the dyed hair. Thus it proves that there is effect of chemicals on the rate of adsorption of petroleum on the hair. But still it minimizes the problem of oil spill so its contribution cannot be denied. It could be clarified by the following data which shows the result and calculations of the experiment. Beaker A Here we used the untreated hair and the following observations were noted: Hair used= 10grams Oil used=30ml Oil adsorbed=29ml Conclusion= this means that 10 grams of hair adsorb 29 grams of hair out of 30 grams. This also throws light on the fact that 1gram of hair can adsorb 2.9ml of oil. Untreated hair had adsorbed 96.7% of oil. Beaker B Here we used the dyed sample of hair and the following observations were noted: Hair used: 10grams Oil used= 30ml Oil adsorbed= 28ml Conclusion= this means that 10 grams of hair adsorb 28 grams of hair out of 30 grams. This also throws light on the fact that 1gram of hair can adsorb 2.8ml of oil. Untreated hair had adsorbed 93.4% of oil.
FUTURE PLANS
Our country can use the idea of adsorbing the oil from the spilled places with the help of hair for reducing the effects of oil spills. Oil spills cause a huge loss to the resources residing in the water. Fishes, plants, life of poor people living in coastal areas is affected the most. These are neglected but actually they are to be cared with utmost importance. Human hair is very good adsorbent. Not only human hair but hair of animals can also be used. The hair is very much harmful when it is burnt or dumped which is usually done by most of the barbers. It not only causes air pollution but also causes soil pollution. Our country is also facing problems related to ecosystem and if problems from oil spills invade then there will be uncontrollable situation leading to decline in agricultural and forest areas. So hair should be used in the face of adsorbents to protect the countrys environment.
Already made hair booms are dipped in oil by acquired labor force.
Used hair booms are left in a chamber and later they are compressed to secrete oil
Continuously doing the procedure will remove all the oil from the area.
After the hair booms are compressed all the oil could be stored in a safe place.
PROCEDURE Whole procedure would leave the ocean safe and oil conserved leaving country more economic.
Fill this bag with hair (untreated). This is called hair boom.
Take 2 beakers and fill both the beakers with water of density of salt 3.8gms per 100 ml of water.
In both the beakers put the hair booms and wait for few minutes.
Oil adsorbed by the hair can be seen. It can be compressed to get the oil later with rolling pin
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I am very thankful to everyone who all supported me, for I have completed my project effectively and moreover on time. I am specially grateful to my revered guru Mr.Prashant Gupta. He gave me moral support and guided me in different matters regarding the topic. He had been very kind and patient and torch bearer while suggesting me the outlines of my project and removing my doubts. I am equally thankful to me group mates. Last but not the least I would like to thanks to my parents who helped me a lot in gathering me different information collecting data and guided me from time to time in making this project despites of their busy schedules, they gave me different ideas in making this project unique.
Thank you.
Chitransh Saxena
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM
Our project gives not only a single solution but it covers a wide area in the area of problem solving. See hair booms need to be used by some or the other but only by humans so it can give employment to a group of people for a period of time. Now oil spill when occurs it also comes to the coast so it causes soil pollution but hair booms can adsorb oil so our project also reduces soil pollution. When the oil spill occurs oil keeps on floating on the top layer of soil and contaminating water so our project also reduces water pollution. Oil spill also take life of fishes and all other aquatic animals. It is also possibly kills the aquatic fauna and flora. Oil spill causes the water at sea shore to contaminates which are to be used by the poor people in their life and if this water is contaminated it will affect their lifestyle. In short we can say our project gives solution to the following problems: Soil pollution Water pollution Oil depletion Life of aquatic flora and fauna People on the sea shore.
SURVEY RESULTS
After the survey we came to the conclusion that though most of the people were science literate and aware of oil spill but still they were not totally aware of harms caused by it. They knew a little bit about the harms caused by it at last they were not sure because the oil does not has a single effect but largely affects the life and well being of people. Much people also did not knew about the effects of oil spill on the aquatic life because most of the people came to know about the oil spill from the news channels and news channels most of the time dont show the whole news properly so they were unaware of its effects on aquatic life. The next we came to know that many people were not aware of adsorption and the funniest thing happened that most of the people tried to rectify us by saying that I have written adsorption in place of absorption. We told that we were right and adsorption must be differentiated with absorption. We defined the adsorption on the survey questionnaire but still we had to explain them. 90% of people believed in our theory and the rest doubted on the adsorbing power of the hair. They said that hair can never adsorb oil because it is non porous. We rectified them by saying adsorption is not related to the pores but it has only its look up with the adhesion to the surface. Here is a graph showing the graphical representation of the results of survey:
IMPACT OF SURVEY
Survey never means to interrogate people for your own concern and handle them the questionnaire to fill, but it also means to make the people aware of natural and other issues which are most probable not in their mind. Our survey was conducted with the dual motive to interrogate people with the help of questionnaire and make them aware of oil spills and the harms caused by it. Most of the people were not aware of the major harms caused by it and we told them how much oil spill is dangerous as simple it looks. People were also amazed by the fact that hair can be used as adsorbent and can harm the nature even if they are dumped because they act as fertilizers after they are decomposed and they are decomposed after 1-2 years so till that time they act as harm to nature. The next thing we tried to make people aware of adsorption because most of them were confused between absorption and adsorption so we explained them what adsorption is. So by doing this we tried to make them a bit aware different happenings in nature. The next we tried to make people aware was the effects of oil spill on the aquatic life but they tried to contradict us by saying that what they can do by sitting here while the oil spill is occurring on the sea. We tried to answer them by explaining that no one is helpless until he pretends to be helpless. We can send them hair by packing them in cartoons for the making of hair booms. Thus we tried to spread more and more awareness about oil spill and its effects ad what the people can do to more and more public.
FOLLOW UP PROBLEMS
We tried our best to investigate that what could our project leave as problem for the life and nature. The results were like this before: Leakage of hair- While dipping the hair boom there is a scope leakage of hair from the hair boom which could be harmful to the nature and the aquatic life. Hair if taken in by fishes could lead to a lot of problems for their life because hair is so minute that it can sharply make a cut in their body which may be small but harm the fishes. We have tried our best to find out the most follow up problems but we have not incurred with any except that which is mentioned above. But we will give full freedom to anyone who helps us to find out any problem in the project.
REDUCING THE EFFECT OF OIL SPILL WITH THE HELP OF HUMAN HAIR LEADER- Chitransh Saxena MEMBERS- Chitransh Saxena Rohit Singh
Kshitij Joshi Seshan Sinha Aakash.
DISTRICT- Lucknow SCHOOL- Lucknow Public School, Sector-I, L.D.A. Colony, Lucknow. FOCAL THEME- Reduction of effects of oil spill
Reducing soil pollution.