A research team from the University of Toronto (UofT) has developed a prototype engineered polymer foam filter — similar in concept to a kitchen sponge — to clean contaminated water stored on spill response vessels.
The team has secured $1.3 million in funding from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) as part of the Oil Spill Response Challenge to develop and test an innovative system for treating contaminated water onboard oil spill response ships.
Led by Associate Professor Amy Bilton from the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering, the team has progressed to the final stage of the national competition aimed at enhancing Canada’s oil spill response capabilities. Federal funding of $10 million means high stakes for the competition’s development of innovative and rapidly deployable solutions to oil spill detection, response and recovery in Canada’s aquatic environments.
“We’re both engineering the foam material and developing the treatment process to fill in a gap in current oil spill operations,” says Bilton in a statement from UofT. “We aim to increase the amount of oil these vessels can collect by a factor of four.”
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The filter and treatment system, dubbed FRODO, would allow a ship to release previously contaminated water back into the environment, according to the research team.
In contrast, current methods involve ships using large floating barriers to gather oil before skimming the oil-water mixture into their holds. The ships must then transport the mixture, which consists of about 25% oil and 75% water with trace amounts of oil, to a land-based facility for treatment.
With more than four million barrels of oil transported through Canada daily and over 240,000 kilometres of coastline and 890,000 kilometres of freshwater systems, effective oil spill response is vital for protecting the country’s diverse ecosystems and communities, states the UofT research team.
Bilton’s team is also conducting research to assess the environmental impact of their in situ treatment process. Canada’s zero-discharge policy requires that no oil be present in water when it is released back into water systems.
As one of five finalists moving on to Stage 3 of the competition, Bilton’s team has one year to refine, scale, and test its prototype in preparation for commercialization. The winner, who will receive an additional $2 million in funding, will be announced in winter 2025.
“We are currently in the testing phase and are planning large-scale simulations at our Ohmsett partner facility in New Jersey,” says Bilton.
Finalists:
University of Northern British Columbia
The University of Northern British Columbia’s proposed solution involves a mobile system that integrates nano/micro bubble gas flotation with adsorption.
LGM Canada Corp.
LGM Canada’s proposed solution involves enhancing mechanical recovery with an oil boom that has a permeable skirt treated with a coating to block oil but pass water, increasing tow speeds and reducing tow forces.
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University’s proposed solution involves the development of a rapidly deployable system of surface and underwater robotic vehicles with state-of-the-art sensors, profiling systems, and samplers to inform oil spill decision-making and response.
Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc.
Aqua-Guard Spill Response Inc.’s proposed solution involves recovery modules that mechanically recover floating oil sheens with high oil/water efficiency.
