In the US and Europe these pits are provided with a leachate collection system and a polymer lining to prevent underground water contamination. However, the oil refineries in India do not find it a viable proposition to construct such storage pits. Moreover, storing the waste is not a sustainable approach to manage oily sludge, since it exposes the local habitats to dangerous levels of toxicity through air and water pollution. This also takes a toll on the scarce soil, since land requirements increase with increase in oil sludge generation. Oil spills at port terminals are a frequent phenomenon, which invariably go unreported in the media.
Oil spills are also common during oil explorations and at the oil well drilling sites.
Oil spills also occur at the Oil Collection Centres, where oil is separated from water. Scientists the world over are battling to come up with efficient and economical solutions to combat contamination of land and water through oil sludge and crude oil spills. Application of a mixture of the Oilzapper to the oil-contaminated sites not only saves valuable land but also cuts down the cost of construction and maintenance of the dumping sites, besides saving the local environment from degradation. Oilzapper holds the key While refineries in the country spend over Rs 2000 to Rs 3000 per tonne to construct pits for dumping the oil waste, the Oilzapper solution comes for less than Rs 800 per tonne. Also, Oilzapper speeds up the degradation process by three to four times the natural process.