The use of hair in the outset of an oil slick
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Scientific briefing:
The use of hair in the outset of an oil slick
Edgar Dusacrea b, Eléa Barjavelc d and Mathieu Beauforta, Mariana Roudautd, Pénélope Teste du
Baillera
a
University of La Rochelle - coastline ecology and environmental management master degree
b
University of Costa Rica - coastline ecology and environmental management master degree
c
University of Bordeaux – ecotoxicology and environment chemistry master degree
d
Bordeaux Sciences Agro – Institute of Agriculture sciences - resources and environmental management
engineer.
f
King’s College of London – department of Geography – Environment, Politics & Globalization master degree
Scientific work produced by the NGO 4P SHORE & SEAS under the request of the NGO Octop’us –
August 2020
Introduction
Following the disastrous oil spill affecting Mauritian waters on the 26th of July 2020, there is a
need to inform decision-makers, the press and the public, on the benefits of the use of human hair
to tackle this ecological emergency. Oil spills have heavy consequences on the biodiversity,
economy and society of the touched geographic region. It is crucial to act quickly after such an
event. To handle the problem, various techniques are being promoted to try to limit the expansion
of oil and the impact it can have on marine and coastal biodiversity. This scientific briefing is
dedicated to explain the technique of hair strands as an oil adsorbent.
Summary of the consequences of an oil spill on the affected ecosystem.
An oil slick is an ecological catastrophe with heavy consequences and for the impacted
ecosystems. Pollution and the engulfing phenomena affects the populations of the tidal swing zone
(foreshore). It has been observed that entire marine species are at risk of disappearing, affecting
the entire food chain.
Birds stuck in crude oil die of suffocation without outside emergency intervention to cure them.
Seaweed, fish, shellfish, crustaceans that live in the coasts are inevitably affected.
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Made for the ocean™ - 2020The impacts are very heterogeneous depending on the affected ecosystem. Depending on the
nature of the coastline: rocky coasts, pebble beaches, gravel, fine sand, marshy areas, coral reefs
etc- have very different sensitivities to an oil spill and the consequences are therefore different
depending on the environment touched (Bocard, 2006).
The ecological risk assessment is the tool that helps guide the strategy to combat accidental oil
pollution. Identifying the areas to be treated, the priority ecosystems to be addressed and the
means to be implemented makes it possible to set up a local action plan that are the closest to the
challenges faced at the contaminated site. A modeling of the physico-chemical and spatio-
temporal evolution of hydrocarbons allows the assessment of the exposure of different species
and ecosystems.
Figure :Pathways by which spilled oil may enter the marine ecosystem.
Source : Paul F. Kingston (2002) Long-term Environmental Impact of Oil
Spills
Figure 1: processes that take place after a petroleum product is spilled into an aquatic environment - (Kingston, 2002).
All the processes that take place after a petroleum product is spilled into an aquatic environment
are shown schematically in Figure 1 (Kingston, 2002).
There are two different phases of development:
A primary phase (from a few days to a few weeks) which mainly concerns physical processes:
● spreading drift and fractionation of slicks at the surface
● evaporation of light hydrocarbons
● emulsification
● dissolving soluble aromatic hydrocarbons
● volume dispersion in oil droplets in the water column
● immersion of sheet fragments made denser due to aging
● sedimentation of droplets by adsorption on temporarily suspended sediments or on
plankton
A second phase (weeks and months following the disaster or even years) concerns the antagonistic
intervention where we observe purifying and stabilizing processes. Purification is the route of
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Made for the ocean™ - 2020aerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons by the bacteria in the environment (a process limited or
even blocked by physical processes which results in the burial of part of the hydrocarbons in the
sediments).
Facing the environmental and socio-economic crises techniques to limit the expansion have to be
found and used.
To what extent is the use of hair a viable solution in the face of oil pollution
affecting the oceans?
The physicochemical properties of the human hair make the hair very effective in absorbing oils
and various polluting chemical compounds. Thanks to its porous cortex, the hair absorbs water
and oil when it comes into contact with it (Vargiolu, 2013). However, the oil's affinity for the hair
surface is much stronger than the one observed between water and hair. Therefore, where there
is the presence of water and oil is absorbed much easily compared to water (Murthy et al., 2004;
Vargiolu, 2013). This absorption is purely physical, no chemical binding is created (Jadhav et al.,
2011). It is this particular property that allows the use of hair for the creation of depolluting filters
specific to hydrocarbons. Thus, the filtration of water by the hair is made up of two different parts:
the hair and the strands in which it is placed (Figure 2) (McCrory & McCrory, 1995; Jadhav, 2011;
Pagnucco & Phillips, 2018).
Figure 2: hair booms
Furthermore, a comparative study of the different methods for the depollution of the oceans
showed that the capillary dams had the highest average absorption rate of oil, along with a
relatively high volumetric ratio of absorption compared to all the other techniques already known
in the market (cotton dams, recycled cellulose dams, polypropylene dam) (Pagnucco & Phillips,
2018).
This is why in 2010 the NGO Matter Of Trust set up a great mobilization to collect hair in order to
make dams (thanks to hair strands as seen in Figure 2) during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico, following the hydrocarbon leak from a BP oil station. Thanks to this action
program and the gigantic mobilization that this project generated, significant advantages have
been observed in terms of the blocking of oil slicks, their spread and the damage to the affected
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Made for the ocean™ - 2020coastal ecosystems (Matter Of Trust, 2019). An equally large-scale project was set up in the
Philippines in 2006. In fact, following one of the worst oil spills in the country, emanating from the
sinking of the oil tanker Solar I, a program was set up in prisons in the country where thousands of
prisoners had their heads and torsos shaved in order to use their body hair and hair for pollution
control purposes (Earth911, 2019).
The use of hair in the depollution of the oceans is a new technique and still little used but whose
effectiveness is proven. The main limitation to the democratization of this technique is the lack of
a hair market, which is still considered waste today.
Treatment of the hair
The hair once used can be freed from hydrocarbons by washing or twisting it (Monnier, 2019). With
this newly introduced method, 98% of the pollutants can be recovered (Gupta, 2014) in order to
be subsequently treated in a clean way. Once the filters are clean, they can be used again up to
100 times, which gives them a considerable advantage (Gupta, 2014). After a certain number of
uses, they can be used again either by integrating a composting process, or by being incorporated
into construction materials which will make it possible to benefit from the reinforcement by the
fibers and their thermal and sound insulating properties (Monnier, 2019). In order for hairs to be
dissociated from the pollutants and thus composted, it is possible to grow Pleurotus on the still
greasy hair, since the latter have the capacity to degrade hydrocarbons. Once the hair has been
removed (about 12 weeks), it can then be composted without risk of toxicity (Gupta, 2014; Earth911,
2019). All these concrete uses of hair filters in the depollution of hydrocarbons clearly demonstrate
the interest of their use in many sectors. In addition, this seems to attest to their economic viability,
since this practice is used in many countries. It is crucial to understand that this technique has
already made its proofs and is one of the best low-cost and durable solutions that we have.
However, it is not enough to have the technique, it must be put in place as quickly as possible to
limit the impact of this new oil spill.
Necessity of an emergency action-plan
An oil spill, as explained below, is not just a spill from a boat, but it is a large crisis that includes all
the ecosystem of an island. In that ecosystem, we include humans. Day after day the marine
ecosystem is more and more impacted, with marine life slowly disappearing and marine system
slowly disrupted (surface water, water column, benthic systems and organisms). The island's
economy and its residents will also be strongly impacted by this disaster. According to a study of
Loureiro et al. (2009), the longer an oil spill is active, the higher the socio-economic risk impact
will be. As an oil spill spreads, it greatly affects marine life and all the activities related to it (tourism
and fishing primarily) (Garza Gil et al. 2006; Loureiro et al. 2006). The world-wide known oil spill
illustrated in ‘Water Horizon’ (2010) has shown the terrible impacts of a long-term oil spill. A paper
published in 2012 studying this case (Sumaila, 2012) showed the socio-economic impact in the US
gulf. They estimated the potential negative economic effects of this blowout and oil spill on
commercial and recreational fishing, as well as mariculture (marine aquaculture) in the US Gulf
area, by computing potential losses throughout the fish value chain. They found that the oil spill
had great economic consequences and losses up to $8.7 billion with commercial and recreational
fisheries likely to suffer the most from it.
The actual crisis in Mauritius has been active for 17 days and more than 1000 tons have already
reached the shore. Marine ecosystems are already impacted, as well the socio-economic
ecosystem, and it is now time to try to reduce the amplitude of the crisis and the correlated
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Made for the ocean™ - 2020biodiversity and socio-economic impacts. It is why a quick response is necessary to limit the
deterioration of the island.
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solution viable pour dépolluer les océans des hydrocarbures ? Socio-écosystèmes - Master SPE,
University of La Rochelle.
Bocard, C. (2006) Marées noires et sols pollués par les hydrocarbures : enjeux environnementaux
et traitement des pollutions. Editions TECHNIP
Garza Gil MD, Prada-Blanco A, Vázquez MX (2006) Estimating the short-term economic damages
from the Prestige oil spill in the Galician fisheries and tourism. Ecol Econ 58:842–849
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