Behavior of Free Sulfur in Seawater and Rapid Removal Method from Bilge

Abstract

Free sulfur contained in the oily wastewater (bilge) at the bottom of a ship often dissolves once discharged into the sea. Such changes in free sulfur content may prevent accurate matching of the bilge discharged into the sea with the bilge of the responsible ship. This study examined the behavior of free sulfur in seawater to test the hypothesis that microorganisms in seawater contribute to dissolving free sulfur. This study also used a method for quickly removing free sulfur by solid-phase extraction to examine the dissolution of free sulfur in seawater.