question for you civil enginners and biologists

[gofastman]

I have heard that when petroleum oils are emulsified, such as when rinsing degreaser off an engine, the oil will break down much faster in the eco system compared to say pouring straight oil down the drain, how true is this?
The reason I ask is, due to a large oil leak on the 'rents minivan they have many large oil spots on their driveway. The leak has been fixed and the excess oil absorbed with kitty litter.However every time it rains, iridescent oil slicks end up running into the storm sewer which goes unfiltered into our local lake.
Can I reduce the environmental impact of this by pouring degreaser or soap on the oil spots and letting it sit until the next rainstorm?

[dheath]

when oil is emulsified, it is essentially broken up into tiny molecules. This helps speed up the natural breakdown of oil compared to keeping the oil completely separated from water.

I'm not sure what your degreaser is made of, but if you can get a natural citrus degreaser, I would spray the spots down and give them a scrub with a hard bristled brush. Idk if I would leave degreaser just sitting on concrete though. Maybe wash it down a bit with a hose.

You just want to be careful with using chemicals to clean up oil, since you risk washing chemicals down the drain much worse than a tiny bit of oil.

[unleashedfury]

And is it a asphalt driveway?

Asphalt absorbs oils, and tends to weep when it rains.

I am far from a civil engineer but I had the same problem with my driveway when I had one. I had an oil filter double gasket on me. 4qts of oil across the driveway when the car started. 3 years later its still soaking up during heavy rainstorms

[Poordude]

There are enzyme based degreasers out there now. Our company makes a few of em. They use enzymes to actually totally break down oil & grease & the by product is air & water.
You can google enzyme degreasers for more general info.
They work well but need a lot more contact time.