Richard Duncan
603-369-3097 EMail RDPDJR@Gmail.com
Using an electron microscope, there has been found to be 5,000 species of bacteria, not individual bateria, in one single cubic centimeter of topsoil. Almost all of them are harmless to us but there are usually a few harmfull bacteria in our environment that a healthy immune system routinely wards off. The bacteria used in oil remediation is harmless to us and our animals.
I focus on cleanup of small amounts of oils that have been spilled, typically done under routine conditions and not to exceed 10 gallons in Mass or 25 gallons in NH.. Amounts above this or discharged directly into surface waters should be reported to the Mass DEP or NH DES and must be dealt with by a permitted company. Two pages of this website cover pertinent Regulations for each state.
I use bacterial cultures that have been professionally cultivated and packaged for storage. They love to consume oils and leave behind harmless amino acids, it is their food. The amino acids can then be legally discharged anywhere, including harbors. Oil tankers use these, but if they remain in the hold or get into storage tanks they can turn valuable oil into water.
My first time using this was when I remodeled an abandoned house. There was oil in undulations in the irregular concrete floor. We removed everything from the basement, applied the bacterial mixture with a mop as per directions and and let it set for six hours. When there is even a drop of oil on water it spreads and is immediately visible, with rainbow hues as most motorboaters know. After treatment I hosed off the slab and there was absolutely no sign of oil. To be sure, I also used the solution on the walls and all over the floor again, since it is relatively cheap and I and my son were going to live there. This is especially useful on the thousands of homes where there is a small spill under the oil filter off of the oil tank in the basement; do you want to smell that forever? Also it can treat the inaccessible areas between the cabin and hull of a sailboat or motorboat. Add treatment to bilge water and go out on a day with big waves to make the boat roll arouund.
I have seen another use for this for decades in my contracting business. Often over the years a little oil leaks from oil lines or is spilled while changing the filter off of the oil tank. Putting down Speedy Dry helps but still leaves a litle oil in the cement which will smell, which is really slowly off-gassing, so that the occupants are continually exposed to low levels of fuel oil, a definite health risk and annoying too.
Land can be cleaned up by application, rototilling or aerating with an excavator and watering. Sometimes an area under where you park an old tractor or work on vehicles gets a buildup of sludgy dirt.