This paper is a summary of several oil parameters and the spill behavior of the 2015 Alaskan North Slope sample as provided to Environment Canada. Environment Canada analyzed the sample provided to them by PWSRCAC for environmental and physical parameters. The essential parameters included in the 2015 analysis are the oil viscosity, density, and emulsion formation.
Polar compounds as found in oils are hydrocarbon compounds containing nitrogen, sulphur or oxygen. Measurement of the presence of these compounds in oils can be carried out using sophisticated analysis techniques, however quantification and separation of compounds is very difficult and will remain a problem for many years to come. Characterization of polar compounds in oils is at a state of infancy and little polar analysis for Alaska North Slope oil has been carried out to date.
This report is a review of the literature on oil spill dispersants published from 2011 to June 2014. The report identifies and focuses on recent advances in dispersant effectiveness, toxicity, and biodegradation. Other topics such as behavior and fate are also covered.
Oil that has undergone biodegradation or photooxidation, contains oxygenated compounds. These compounds cannot be analysed by standard extraction and gas-chromatographic methods. Conventional methods do not analyse for polar compounds and would not count them in the analytical results.