Prior art devices have been provided to remove oil contaminated areas from sandy beaches. In one particular method, liquid nitrogen was sprayed onto the contaminated area so as to solidify the oil and sand into a mixture that is to be separated from the clean, underlying sand.
This method was implemented with a cryogenic spray head for spraying the contaminated area, and shovel means for separating the solidified mixture from the underlying sand. Conveyors transported the separated mixture to trailers or trucks which delivered it to treatment or disposal sites.
Although this method represented a significant advance, some situations arose where complete solidification was hard to achieve when the oil viscosity was low. Sometimes even when the solidification of oil was achieved, a residue remained in the sand. Finally, depending upon the conditions, the period in which the mixture remained solidified was fairly short and it was difficult to complete separation, transportation and delivery within that short time.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved method and machine for restoring sandy beaches which have become contaminated by an oil spill;
It is a further object of this invention to lengthen the solidification period;
It is another object of this invention to minimize the amount of residue remaining after treatment; and
These and other objects of this invention will become apparent from the following description and appended claims.