October 8, 2003

I researched several methods of environmental restoration based on some of the techniques we can potentially use to drill and explore for oil. 

1.       My first focus was oil spills, which, in the past, have caused significant amounts of environmental damage by polluting the surrounding region, killing creatures (both in water and on land), and disrupting the ecosystems in the area.  One way to remedy these spills is by using a product called Velite, which is advertised as a 100% organic bioremediation product.  It’s an organic compound derived from a mixture of dehydrated organic species or plant life.  It functions by eliminating damage caused by oil or hydrocarbon spills by absorbing them until they’re fully degraded.  It’s ground into small pieces or chunks that naturally contain fungi and bacteria in a dormant state.  Velite can be applied over a variety of surfaces including water, soil, concrete and asphalt; by doing this, the oil is absorbed immediately and the degradation process begins by forming a compost of a viscous brown aspect. 

Substances Velite can be used for includes: crude oil, fuel oil, asphalt, base oil, canola oil, cutting oil, motor oil, formaldehyde, and gasoline.  When used on land, it’s supposed to be spread evenly over the spill area, where it will absorb the oil and start the remedial process.

Velite soil application: 2.2 lb. (1 kg) of Velite per gallon of spilled oil/hydrocarbon.

If the volume of spilled hydrocarbon is unknown, the needed amount of Velite can be estimated with the following ratio: 1 polluted acre requires approximately 2 tons of Velite. Velite can be safely applied on concrete or asphalt surfaces without damaging them.  Once the spill has been adequately absorbed, simply sweep the saturated Velite off the hard surface.

Some advantages are that it remains in dormant state until it makes direct contact with oil or hydrocarbons, it doesn’t need follow-up soil applications after the initial watering, it’s non-toxic and non-corrosive, and it’s 100% biodegradable. 

2.       My second focus is on gravel pad restoration, which is especially applicable to ANWR.  When companies drill for oil, they have to make stable surfaces for the equipment, such as oil drilling pads, roads, and pipeline routes.  These gravel pads are 3-6 ft deep, and after the companies finish drilling/exploring, they abandon the gravel pads, which damages the permafrost and disrupts wildlife and vegetation.  To solve this problem, they focus on revegetation of the affected area in the hope that natural succession of plants will take place so that the surrounding tundra can be restored.  To do this, they till the contaminated soil (if there is any) and apply fertilizer; then they plant the seeds.  A major objective for revegetation is to create a barrier to prevent seeds from blowing away in the wind, so they collect snow that acts as thermal protection during the winter. On undisturbed sites plant litter accumulates snow, but on open gravel sites there is nothing to hold the snow, so to compensate for the lack of a windbreak, they make snow fences to be used as snow traps the insulate the seeds. Along with the artificial windbreak, hydro-mulch has been used to hold the seed in place (McKendrick et al. 1992). The two to six feet of overburden, which is removed for gravel pad construction, has also been used and shown to aide in moisture retention and increase aeration for seed establishment (McKendrick et al. 1992).

Also, from previous trials it has been discovered that the tundra environment is deficient in nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium.  These elements have added to the corresponding fertilizers, and the results were deemed successful.