Increasing human activities in Antarctic region, particularly tourism and even research activities, increase the risk of oils spills at these high latitudes. Despite the significant advances that have characterized the field of environmental recovery, with particular reference to emergency as a result of "oil spill", research has recently shown that the usual techniques are often less effective than expected. This issue become much more complex in the Antarctic case, because of the extreme environmental conditions, the great distance from centers equipped that make impracticable sending naval means and especially for the high environmental value the Antarctic region represent. Scope of the proposed research is the preliminary design of a prototype floating platform, parachutable by plane, able to intervene as quickly as possible for the containment, removal and treatment/storage of the oil slick. New sorbent typology and specialized Antarctic bacteria applications constitute the main innovations of the proposed research.
Rationale
Throughout the last century the increasing human activities in Antarctic region, particularly tourism and research activities, amplified the risk of oils spills at these high latitudes.
A number of studies have focused on chronic hydrocarbon contamination near Antarctic research stations revealing the presence and persistence of these human-derived contaminants.
Marine ship-source oil spills in Antarctic region can have significant impacts on the marine environment. The key to effectively combating spills is careful selection and proper use of the equipment and materials best suited to the critical conditions at a potential Antarctic spill site.
Mechanical containment and recovery equipment including a variety of booms, barriers, and skimmers, are used to capture and store the spilled oil until it can be properly disposed but an adequate storage capacity must be rapidly available at the spill site. Several natural organic, inorganic or synthetic sorbents are also used to recover liquids through the mechanism of absorption, or adsorption, or both but their performance in extreme temperature conditions have proved a reduced efficiency.
Finally also biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by indigenous microbial communities has been reported from various Arctic and Antarctic ecosystems of soil, freshwater, and sea water as well as from cold alpine sites. However, the degradation capacity of oil hydrocarbons by cold-adapted bacteria is still poorly known.