U.S. Navy Ship Salvage Manual Volume 6 - Oil Spill Response

S0300-A6-MAN-060Incineration of large quantities of material may not be feasible. Although oiled logs and organicdebris have been burned on remote shorelines in Alaska, following the EXXON VALDEZ spill,oiled sorbents were transported to CONUS for disposal in a landfill. Disposal by incineration wasnot viable because of pollutants generated by combustion of inorganic materials.Complete combustion of weathered oil is difficult in the field because not all the oil burns. Anobjectionable tarry mass that is difficult to remove remains after combustion.Small amounts of oiled debris are easier to burn on site than huge volumes because they may behandled more efficiently. Portable combustion units aid in maintaining high-temperature firesrequired for proper incineration of some debris. Portable incinerators have been developed thatare capable of burning oil from sand, leaving the sand clean enough to be returned to the beach.7-7.3.5 Municipal Solid Waste Landfill. Oiled debris such as vegetation, logs and dirt may beacceptable for a municipal solid waste landfill. These facilities often accept oiled debris as a coverlayer. Municipal solid waste landfills are subject to state and local standards.7-7.3.6 Landspreading. Oil as sludge may be tilled into the soil where it is broken down by bacteriaand sunlight. Landspreading exposes sludge to mixes of oxygen, water and nutrients thatenable it to degrade into the environment. The sludge is tilled over in the soil periodically toenhance exposure to air and sunlight. This procedure, sometimes termed sludge farming or landfarming, is done where topography and soil conditions permit. Landspreading is no longer a primarymeans of oil disposal because of the risk of ground water contamination.7-7.4 Methods for Disposal of Oils Determined to be Hazardous. Hazardous oils must be disposedof without risk to people or the environment. Two methods are available—high-temperatureincineration and disposal in a waste management facility.7-7.4.1 High-Temperature Incineration. Certain hazardous wastes may be incinerated at hightemperatures—a thermal oxidation process that alters the chemical nature of the materials leavingonly harmless products of combustion. The process with temperatures in the range of 2,000°F iscommon for destroying oils containing PCBs. High-temperature incineration facilities are suitablefor disposal of oiled sorbents, boom and impregnated materials. There are few of these facilitiesin the United States.7-7.4.2 Disposal in Hazardous Waste Facility (Landfill). Disposal in a hazardous waste facilityis the method of last resort. Hazardous waste facilities operated in compliance with standards setby the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) are called RCRA facilities.RCRA facilities operate in accordance with terms and conditions of their EPA permits. EPAenforces regulatory standards for RCRA sites and states operate municipal solid waste landfills toEPA standards.Materials sent to a RCRA facility must be identified, packaged properly, labeled and shipped witha hazardous waste manifest. Oily wastes are packaged in drums designed for landfill disposal.7-13