Sorption. A number of sorbents have been used in beach cleanup 

 operations. Materials such as straw, urethane foam, sawdust and peat 

 moss have been used to some extent. The material that has been used in 

 the greatest quantities for the cleanup of spilled oil is straw. Sorbents 

 such as straw are most beneficial when deposited prior to the arrival 

 of floating oil. It tends to collect oil and prevent its deep penetration 

 into the sand, thus facilitating cleanup. 



Sorbent materials can complicate the recovery process by fouling 

 pumps and filters. In rocky areas, straw can gather among the rocks 

 and make the removal of the oil more difficult [7] . Note that the sorbent 

 material is a form of contaminant itself and must be removed from the 

 beach surface. 



Mechanical Removal. Up to 99% removal of oil contamination can 

 be accomplished either manually or by using mechanical equipment to 

 physically remove the oil from the beach. Physical removal typically 

 involves the removal of the oily contaminant, and any beach material 

 which adheres to the oil. In most such cases, the volume or weight of 

 sand or other materials removed has been large. Manual removal is nor- 

 mally used in areas with light contamination, and mechanical removal 

 is used in areas with extensive contamination. A combination of manual 

 and mechanical removal processes is frequently used where light to 

 moderate contamination exists over a wide area of the beach. 



Manual Procedui'es . Manual removal of oil contamination is effective 

 where the contamination is cohesive and can be moved either by rakes 

 or by shovels. Where the areas of contamination are widely separated, 

 a man carrying a box or bag recovers contaminated material, and then 

 drops the material at the central site to be transported by truck. An 

 average man can remove about 120 to 160 pounds of debris per hour. Manual 

 removal is typically used in rocky areas and around tide pools where 

 mechanical equipment cannot operate. It may also be considered for the 

 cleanup of a remote beach which is inaccessible to motorized equipment. 



Mechanical Systems. Because of their effectiveness and the 

 relatively high cost of manual labor, mechanical systems have been 

 used for the cleanup of contaminated beach sites wherever possible, 

 particularly for beaches with a contaminated area of significant size. 



Items of equipment found to be effective for various situations 

 are: 



Motorized graders 



Elevating scraper 



Front-end loader 



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