A composite silt fence configured for capturing pollutants in one embodiment comprises a silt fence fabric including i) a polymeric geotextile fabric particulate filtering layer defining the hydraulic flow capacity for the silt fence, ii) a pollutant capturing layer coupled to the polymeric geotextile fabric particulate filtering layer and configured to capture some select pollutants in water from flow that has passed through the polymeric geotextile fabric particulate filtering layer, and iii) a backing layer coupled to the pollutant capturing layer; and a plurality of stakes secured to the silt fence fabric at spaced locations. The silt fence fabric yields higher hydraulic flow than existing fence constructions with greater sediment retention and pollutant containment features.

A system for forming an underwater air curtain, that turns the ocean above it into a gas is anchored on the ocean floor, so the curtain's bubbles travel from the ocean floor to the surface. The system is formed by arrays of air distribution tubes carrying air dispersal heads that are powered by an air supply and air batteries. In the shallows, of 30 ft. or less, ocean waves are deleted, oil is repelled, marine animals have a barrier that they cannot enter when the system is activated. Used at deeper depths, the system has the ability to change ocean temperatures, by using bubbles to bring cold water from the ocean floor to the surface thus protecting coral. The system also works as a sound barrier, because the ocean is no longer solid above it.

Methods for reducing the size of an oil slick on a water surface or on a water surface when ice is present are described. Spreading of oil can be reversed by reducing the surface tension of the seawater, for example, by using a low concentration of at least one water-soluble surfactant, such as a non-ionic surfactant. A controlled amount of the surfactant or surfactant mixture may be discharged over time at the inner-wall of a spill control boom surrounding the oil spill, or within the vicinity of the oil spill in the absence of control booms using a soaker hose or a floating polyethylene or polypropylene hose impregnated with surfactant, whereby the confinement and contraction of the oil slick is maintained by compensating for dissolved surfactant and surfactant moving away from the oil slick. Water-soluble surfactants are typically solids or gels at low temperatures when no organic co-solvent is added to the surfactant. The solid or gel form is advantageous for generating slow, but continuous release of surfactant, and thus there is no need for an organic co-solvent. This is not the situation for oil-soluble surfactants, which require an organic co-solvent to be successfully applied at low temperatures. Mixing oil-soluble surfactants with water-soluble surfactants may overcome the problem of dispersing oil-soluble surfactant without an organic co-solvent at low temperatures.

An apparatus for removing water contaminants, in which when water contaminants, such as oil, green algae and red algae, are generated on the water surface, the apparatus sucks in the water contaminants, passes the sucked in water contaminants through an absorbent paper in order that the water contaminants are absorbed by the absorbent paper, and makes the absorbent paper roll periodically or continuously, thereby maintaining the absorbability of the absorbent paper contaminated by the water contaminants. The apparatus includes a suction pipe for sucking in the water contaminants from an inlet; a suction pump connected to the suction pipe for sucking in the water contaminants from the inlet to the outlet side of the suction pipe; and an absorbent paper installed at the periphery of the inlet of the suction pipe, wherein the absorbent paper is installed to be movable in the inlet and absorb the water contaminants.

An oil spill recovery vessel (10) is provided that comprises a catamaran bow section (12) with twin hulls between which an oil skimmer unit (11) is arranged for displacement between a lowered, operating, position in oil-polluted water and a raised, non-operational, position clear of the water. Aft of the catamaran bow section (12) is a trimaran main section (13) made up of a central hull interposed between two outer hulls formed by aft continuations of the twin hulls of the catamaran bow section (12); the three hulls of the trimaran main section have conjoined upper portions. A propulsion unit (53) is operative to move the vessel (10) forward at slow speed for skimming operations, and, with the skimmer unit (11) in its raised position, at a fast speed in which the vessel planes on its trimaran main section (13).

A multi-layered oil sorbent formed from two superposed polyolefin thin films and a polypropylene (PP) fibrous thin sheet sandwiched between the two superposed polyolefin thin films. Each of the two superposed polyolefin thin films include a plurality of pores defined therethrough and a plurality of swellable cavities extending from a surface thereof. In an embodiment, the cavities of each two superposed polyolefin thin films extend from a respective polyolefin film surface toward the PP fibrous thin sheet. The two superposed polyolefin thin films with the PP fibrous thin sheet sandwiched therebetween are sealed together by a zigzag-shaped heat seal. The plurality of cavities on the surface of the multi-layered sorbent can swell when contacted with oil. The cavities coupled with the zigzag-shaped seal maximize the available volume for uptake of oil and organic pollutants from water.

A remote-controlled underwater vehicle may be used to extract oil from an underside of a closed ice cover. Further, a system for extracting oil from an underside of a closed ice cover may comprise such a remote-controlled underwater vehicle and a submarine that can receive the remote-controlled underwater vehicle and store oil retrieved by the remote-controlled underwater vehicle. Finally, a method can be employed to extract oil from an underside of a closed ice cover.

An apparatus for removing oil or other pollutants from the surface of water, comprising a platform having a left side wall, a right side wall, a rear wall, a front opening, a floor, and a bottom, one or more ballasts which adjust the platform floor relative to a level of oil on the water surface, wherein the oil flows from the front opening across the floor to the rear wall, a rear location near the rear wall to collect the oil from the platform floor; and a pump connected to the rear location that removes the oil from the rear location to a storage area which does not affect the ballast of the platform. The skimmer vessel can work stationary in the water, and does not require a propeller means, as the oil will continue to flow into the skimmer as the oil is pumped out of the rear by the gravity flow to the rear of the vessel.

A system and method for manually cleaning an environment of a substance with an oil content. A hand tool includes a handle part and an attached brush element with fitted bristles. A cleaning tool includes a scraper with scraper elements to clean the hand tool brush element. Some of bristles of the hand tool are arranged in bristle bunches in one or more lines. The length of the bristle bunches is arranged to differ between the lines. In the brush element some of the lines of the bristle bunches are at a distance from each other. The scraper elements of the scraper of the cleaning tool and the lines of bristle bunches of the brush element of the hand tool are arranged relative to each other to scrape the substance with an oil content from between the lines of bristle bunches by the scraper elements.

A method is described for controlling an oil spill by seeding micron-sized magnetizable particles in the oil. Once seeded, particles can form a unique and preferential bond with the oil resulting in creation of a colloidal mixture. This bond forms as a result of a combination of forces including the intermolecular Van der Waal forces. Once this bond is formed, the oil is rendered magnetic and can be controlled and moved in response to a magnetic field. This can include removing oil from water, reducing the diffusion rate of oil on water, magnetically lifting oil from water or nonporous surfaces, as well as separating the magnetic material from the oil.