ABSTRACT

In-situ burning is an oil spill cleanup technique that involves controlled burning of the oil at or near the spill site. The major advantage of this technique is its potential for removing large amounts of oil over an extensive area in less or about the same time than other techniques but with a distinct advantage of being a final solution. Extensive research has been conducted into in-situ burning. The technique has been used at actual spill sites for some time, especially in ice-covered waters where the oil is contained by the ice. It is now an accepted cleanup technique in several countries, whereas in others it is just becoming acceptable. During the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, it was used extensively and contributed greatly to the removal of oil from the surface.