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\"BP Blowout is the first comprehensive account of the legal, economic, and environmental consequences of the disaster that resulted from the April 2010 blowout at a BP well in the Gulf of Mexico. The accident, which destroyed the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, killed 11 people. The ensuing oil discharge- the largest ever in U.S. waters-polluted much of the Gulf for months, wreaking havoc on its inhabitants and the environment. Daniel Jacobs tells the story that neither BP nor the federal government wants heard: how the company and the government fell short, both in terms of preventing and responding to the disaster.\"--book flap

The process of heavy oil production is usually accompanied by high temperature steam injection and asphaltene precipitation, which threaten the stable operation of pumping units and the surrounding water environment. At present, the research related to heavy oil development focuses on the optimization of the development plan, and lacks the design and technical research related to the pumping unit. For this reason, an intelligent beam pumping unit stability analysis model based on the concept of clean oil production is built. Then, the applicability of the model is validated through a comparison with the stability of the actual pumping unit during operation. At the same time, the impact of asphaltene precipitation on pumping stability after thermal recovery of heavy oil is analyzed. Finally, measures to reduce asphaltene precipitation and improve the stability of pumping units in the process of oil recovery are proposed. The results reveal that the proportion of asphaltene in heavy oil is high, and its rheological properties are more suitable to be described by power law model. At the same time, the study also found that asphaltene in heavy oil will gradually precipitate at a slower rate, resulting in the additional stress of the pumping unit. The final additional stress on the beam pumping unit is 10.21 MPa, producing a maximum of 22.21 mm intermittent vibration. Moreover, the gradual increase of asphaltene content in heavy oil will lead to a significant increase in asphaltene precipitation, and the stability of the pumping unit will also become worse. When the asphaltene content in heavy oil increases from 10% to 40%, the final precipitation of asphaltene will increase from 21.31 kg to 93.66 kg. The research and development of a new cosolvent, the addition of intelligent monitoring module, and the optimization of pumping unit’s structure have been identified as crucial factors in ensuring the its stability in the development process.

The production of palm oil, which is used in various foods, is associated with environmental destruction and climate change risks; therefore, there is an urgent need for sustainable alternatives. “Yeast oil” produced by Lipomyces starkeyi, an oil-producing yeast, is expected to solve these problems because its fatty acid composition is similar to that of palm oil. To date, we have successfully developed yeast oil as an edible alternative to palm oil. However, conventional processes, including cell collection and lyophilization, are difficult to industrialize in terms of equipment and cost. Therefore, a method for extracting yeast oil from the emulsified liquid generated by crushing the culture was investigated. It is presumed that the emulsified state is stable owing to the components derived from yeast cells and metabolites; thus, solid–liquid filtration separation was attempted before extraction. The extraction recovery ratio of yeast oil was 98.2% when a hexane/ethanol mixture (3:1) was added to the residue after filtration. Furthermore, the energy consumption and processing cost of this new process were estimated to be 26% and 34%, respectively, of that of conventional methods, suggesting that the new process has potential for practical applications.

Environmental pollution by microplastics (MPs) has become a global problem, but little is known about MPs in soils. This is because MP extraction methods from soils have not yet been standardized. In this study, we tried to establish a simple and economical method to extract soil MPs using the buoyancy of canola oil and the density separation process using sodium chloride (NaCl). In addition, the incineration method was adapted to evaluate the effectiveness of extraction methods precisely. First, the ability and suitability of seven different oils to extract MP from soil were investigated and canola oil was selected. Then, the spiking and recovery test was performed with canola oil and NaCl solution for low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), and polyvinylchloride (PVC) as follows: (1) soil and MP mixtures were prepared, (2) 5 g L−1 NaCl and canola oil were added and shaken thoroughly, (3) the oil phase containing MPs were separated after sedimentation, (4) the extracted MPs were rinsed with 99.5% ethanol, and (5) the organic adherents to the extracted MPs were digested with hydrogen peroxide. After drying and incineration, the substantial recovery rates were calculated. In the spiking and recovery test for MP particles (<1 mm) from five typical Japanese agricultural soils, the recoveries of LDPE, PP, and PVC were 95.2–98.3%, 95.2–98.7%, and 76.0–80.5%, respectively, higher than those obtained by the density separation using saturated NaCl solution. In conclusion, the method is effective for extracting MPs, especially LDPE and PP, from soils and is less sensitive to soil type, texture, and physicochemical properties.

In this paper, we describe the synthesis, characterization and evaluation of nanocomposite preformed particle gels (PPGs) for use as conformance control agents in high-temperature and high-salinity oil reservoirs. The chemical stability of conventional acrylamide (AM)-homopolymer-based PPGs was improved by incorporating an optimized ratio of new functional groups into their structure to withstand harsh reservoir conditions. The modified PPGs were synthesized via free radical crosslinking polymerization at room temperature using AM, vinylpyrrolidone (VP) and 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic sodium salt (AMPSNa) monomers and an N , N -methylenebis (acrylamide) (MBA) crosslinker. The mechanical properties of the PPGs were enhanced by adding a dispersion of modified bentonite (MB) to the formulation. The chemical and mechanical stabilities of the synthesized PPGs were evaluated at a high temperature (130 °C) and under high-salinity conditions using production water (with a TDS of 83 942.63 p.p.m.) and connate water (with a TDS of 254 873.09 p.p.m.), both of which were collected from an oil reservoir. The experimental results showed that PPGs prepared with 30 wt.% of a 1:1:1 molar mass ratio of AM, VP and AMPS monomers with 0.5 wt.% MBA and 2 wt.% MB exhibited the highest stability of the investigated PPGs under oil reservoir conditions. Conventional preformed particle gels (PPGs) of homo-polyacrylamide have been improved by incorporating an optimized ratio of functional groups, AMPS and NVP. The improved PPG shows acceptable viscoelastic properties, thermal and ionic strength stability when they are exposed and aged under high-temperature (130 °C) and high-salinity (225 000 p.p.m. of TDS) conditions. According to the experimental results obtained, these improved PPG can be used for water control purposes under harsh reservoir conditions.

Different parts of a plant (seeds, fruits, flower, leaves, stem, and roots) contain numerous biologically active compounds called “phytoconstituents” that consist of phenolics, minerals, amino acids, and vitamins. The conventional techniques applied to extract these phytoconstituents have several drawbacks including poor performance, low yields, more solvent use, long processing time, and thermally degrading by-products. In contrast, modern and advanced extraction nonthermal technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF) assist in easier and efficient identification, characterization, and analysis of bioactive ingredients. Other advantages of PEF include cost-efficacy, less time, and solvent consumption with improved yields. This review covers the applications of PEF to obtain bioactive components, essential oils, proteins, pectin, and other important materials from various parts of the plant. Numerous studies compiled in the current evaluation concluded PEF as the best solution to extract phytoconstituents used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. PEF-assisted extraction leads to a higher yield, utilizes less solvents and energy, and it saves a lot of time compared to traditional extraction methods. PEF extraction design should be safe and efficient enough to prevent the degradation of phytoconstituents and oils.

Aqueous surfactant-assisted extraction (ASE) has been proposed as an alternative to n-hexane for extraction of vegetable oil; however, the use of inexpensive surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and the effect of ASE on the quality of biodiesel from the oil are not well understood. Therefore, the effects on total oil extraction efficiency of surfactant concentration, extraction time, oilseed to liquid ratio and other parameters were evaluated using ASE with ground canola and SDS in aqueous solution. The highest total oil extraction efficiency was 80 %, and was achieved using 0.02 M SDS at 20 °C, solid–liquid ratio 1:10 (g:mL), 1,000 rpm stirring speed and 45 min contact time. Applying triple extraction with three stages reduced the amount of SDS solution needed by 50 %. The ASE method was scaled up to extract 300 g of ground canola using the best combination of extraction conditions as described above. The extracted oil from the scale-up of the ASE method passed the recommendation for biodiesel feedstock quality with respect to water content, acid value and phosphorous content. Water content, kinematic viscosity, acid value and oxidative stability index of ASE biodiesel were within the ASTM D6751 biodiesel standards.

Land subsidence and sea level rise are well-known, ongoing problems that are negatively impacting the entire Texas coast. Although ground-based monitoring techniques using long-term global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) records provide accurate subsidence rates, they are labor intensive, expensive, time-consuming, and spatially limited. In this study, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data and techniques were used to map the locations and quantify rates of land subsidence in the Texas Coastal Bend region during the period from October 2016 to July 2019. InSAR-derived land subsidence rates were then validated and calibrated against GNSS-derived rates. The factors controlling the observed land subsidence rates and locations were investigated. The consequences of spatial variability in land subsidence rates in Coastal Bend were also examined. The results indicated that: (1) land subsidence rates in the Texas Coastal Bend exhibited spatial variability, (2) InSAR-derived land subsidence rates were consistent with GNSS-derived deformation rates, (3) land subsidence in the Texas Coastal Bend could be attributed mainly to hydrocarbon and groundwater extraction as well as vertical movements along growth faults, and (4) land subsidence increased both flood frequency and severity in the Texas Coastal Bend. Our results provide valuable information regarding not only land deformation rates in the Texas Coastal Bend region, but also the effectiveness of interferometric techniques for other coastal rural areas around the globe.

The histological inspection of our study show histopathological changes on G 2 that treated with bacterial suspension compared with control group (G1) represented by granuloma like lesion, aggregation of lymphocyte in Liver, degeneration in the kidney tubule, fibrosis and Spleen white pulp hyperplasia, moreover the biochemical assay showed large change in the value of ALP levels ( alkaline phosphatase), urea , creatinine , and ASAT level (aspartate aminotransferase). For the aspartate aminotransferase (AST), all groups were near to monitoring group excepting the group deal with bacteriasuspension showed increasing in value of AST and reached to 250 (U/L) comparisons with the control group which was 216 (U/L) this attributed to the effect of bacteria on the liver which caused in released the AST into the bloodstream and led to raise in the level of enzyme 14 These results agreed with 15 who showed that the beginning of bacterial infections was correlated with the appearanceof severe complexity such as hepatic impairment,organ failures and acute kidney injury, Infections of bacteria elevated of mortality rates in any phase of the liver illness also in chronic liver failure. whereas the Alanine transaminase (ALT) in all treatments were near to control group that were reached to ( 209, 215 and 211 U/L ) respectively comparison with the control group which was (209 U/L). For creatinine, all treatments were near to monitoring group while the group processed with bacteria showed decreasing in value of creatinine and reach to 60 (mg/dl) comparisons with the control group which was 70 (mg/dl) this decreasing may attribute the synthesis of creatinine occurs in the kidney with amino acid arginine and glycine then, this product is add to the methyl group from methionine after transferred to the liver to forming creatinine. 17,18 or attributed to the creatinine capable to destroiedvarity species of bacteria either Gram-positive and negative wall, morevere to the varity of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains 19 . The current study shows the sever changes in group which with processed bacterial suspension(Fig2). include liver granuloma like lesion, aggregation of lymphocyte, kidney degeneration in the kidney tubule and spleen white pulp hyperplasia this results agreement with 20 who indicated to the toxic role action of a-toxin produced by S.aureus, As the rapid depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) , these toxin lead to release of TNF-a from monocyte , IL-Iß and induce cardiac depression in sepsis, Degenration in some organs were seen in liver, kidney , stomach, probaply due to cytotoxic effects of S.aureus products , furthermore 21 showed to the harmful role of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) that manufacture many species of toxins which causes Varity diseases, which range from moderate infections in the skin to systemic, lifethreatening diseases.

Avocado oil has generated growing interest among consumers due to its nutritional and technological characteristics, which is evidenced by an increase in the number of scientific articles that have been published on it. The purpose of the present research was to discuss the extraction methods, chemical composition, and various applications of avocado oil in the food and medicine industries. Our research was carried out through a systematic search in scientific databases. Even though there are no international regulations concerning the quality of avocado oil, some authors refer to the parameters used for olive oil, as stated by the Codex Alimentarius or the International Olive Oil Council. They indicate that the quality of avocado oil will depend on the quality and maturity of the fruit and the extraction technique in relation to temperature, solvents, and conservation. While the avocado fruit has been widely studied, there is a lack of knowledge about avocado oil and the potential health effects of consuming it. On the basis of the available data, avocado oil has established itself as an oil that has a very good nutritional value at low and high temperatures, with multiple technological applications that can be exploited for the benefit of its producers.