Surface-Washing Agents or Beach Cleaners

Publisher Summary This chapter explains surface washing agents or what is commonly referred to as ‘beach cleaners'. Surface-washing agents (SWAs) or beach cleaners are formulations of surfactants designed to remove oil from solid surfaces such as shorelines. In some countries, they are also used on solid surfaces such as roads. Since they are intended to remove oil rather than to disperse it, SWAs contain surfactants with higher hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) than those in dispersants. Most SWAs are formulated not to disperse oil into the water column, but to release oil from the surface where it floats. As with dispersants, effectiveness and toxicity are the main issues with SWAs, although the level of concern is not as great. There are several reasons for this. First, SWAs have not been used on a large scale anywhere in the world. Unlike dispersants, they are not a universally applicable agent, but are used in specific cases of supratidal or intertidal oiling. Second, no adverse incidents have been documented using SWAs, such as the killing of aquatic life.