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Characterizing shipboard bilgewater effluent before and after treatment

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Abstract

Operational discharges from oceangoing vessels, including discharges of bilgewater, release oil into marine ecosystems that can potentially damage marine life, terrestrial life, human health, and the environment. Bilgewater is a mix of oily fluids and other pollutants from a variety of sources onboard a vessel. If bilgewater cannot be retained onboard, it must be treated by an oily water separator before discharge for larger ocean-going vessels. We evaluated the effectiveness of bilgewater treatment systems by analyzing land-based type approval data, collecting and analyzing shipboard bilgewater effluent data, assessing bilgewater effluent concentrations compared to regulatory standards, evaluating the accuracy of shipboard oil content monitors relative to analytical results, and assessing additional pollution reduction benefits of treatment systems. Land-based type approval data were gathered for 20 treatment systems. Additionally, multiple samples of influent and effluent from operational bilgewater treatment systems onboard three vessels were collected and analyzed, and compared to the land-based type approval data. Based on type approval data, 15 treatment systems were performing below 5 ppm oil. Shipboard performance measurements verified land-based type approval data for the three systems that were sampled. However, oil content monitor readings were more variable than actual oil concentration measurements from effluent samples, resulting in false negatives and positives. The treatment systems sampled onboard for this study generally reduced the majority of other potentially harmful pollutants, which are not currently regulated, with the exception of some heavy metal analytes.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Dan Boudreau, John Bourbon, Cindy Caporale, Paul Carroll, Robin Costas, Joe Dorsey, Eric Graybill, Doris Guzman, Jamie Hale, Deborah Kay, Peter Philbrook, Kevin Poff, John Rusowicz, Sue Warner, Earnest Waterman, and Peggy Zawodny in EPA’s Region 1, 2, and 3 laboratories for facilitating and conducting the laboratory analyses of all samples collected for this study. Mark Briggs, Kate Connolly, and Kathleen Wu of Eastern Research Group, Inc. assisted in vessel sampling, sampling logistics, and provided other assistance throughout study implementation. We are grateful to Maersk Line Limited and the Algoma Corporation for facilitating sampling onboard their vessels. Finally, we would like to thank Brian Rappoli, Robert Bastian, and Katie Connolly for their feedback on the analytical results and manuscript. The opinions expressed are the authors alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This project was supported in part by an appointment to the Internship/Research Participation Program at the Office of Wastewater Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education through an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Energy and EPA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office of Water, Office of Wastewater Management, Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, USA

    Christine McLaughlin

  2. Eastern Research Group, Inc, 14555 Avion Parkway, Chantilly, VA, 20151, USA

    Debra Falatko

  3. Office of Water, Office of Wastewater Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20460, USA

    Robin Danesi & Ryan Albert

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  1. Christine McLaughlin
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  2. Debra Falatko
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  3. Robin Danesi
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  4. Ryan Albert
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Correspondence to Christine McLaughlin.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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McLaughlin, C., Falatko, D., Danesi, R. et al. Characterizing shipboard bilgewater effluent before and after treatment. Environ Sci Pollut Res 21, 5637–5652 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2443-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-013-2443-x

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