Posted by Bill Litwin on Mon, Nov 30, 2009 @ 04:41 PM
Unfortunately, many companies still respond to chemical spills using mineral products or sand. While these products are inexpensive, they are also ineffective in actually absorbing the liquid. 
Sand will only cause the liquid to cling to the surface of the grains, creating another problem of disposing of the sand (weight and bulk), possibly contaminating the responder or creating a pollution problem. Instead, look for a product that:
- absorbs
- immobilizes
- permanently solidifies the oil or chemical
Advanced Absorption Technology will allow first responders to quickly and permantly immobilize a chemical spill, transform the liquid into a solid thereby enhancing efficiency of the cleanup operation, as well as reducing the risk to the responders.
Posted by Bill Litwin on Wed, Nov 18, 2009 @ 04:12 PM
Icy oil spill easier to clean, scientists say (from Anchorage Daily News)
CONTRADICTORY: Research funded by oil interests conflicts with conventional wisdom.
(Scientists funded by Shell and six other oil companies) said "that oil spilled in open water tends to spread out quickly over large areas and contaminate the shoreline. In contrast, recent testing in the Barents Sea above northern Europe has shown that ice can act as a natural blockade that traps the oil and gives responders more time to clean it up. The researchers said they discharged crude oil in broken and slushy ice off the northern coast of Norway. Though it isn't illegal here, such experiments have never been approved in U.S. waters.
Cumulatively, the researchers spilled 5,944 gallons of oil on the ice, according to an interim report on the tests.
The study didn't look at the environmental impact of spills in the Arctic. In other industry-funded studies, SINTEF and some researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks are still studying the potential toxic effects of oil on Arctic species."
Dispersants consist normally of one or more surfactants. The use of dispersants (detergents similar to dishwashing soap) are very popular with the oil companies, because they are cheap, easy to apply (pour into the water or onto the ice) and make the oil seem to disappear, like in your kitchen sink. What actually happens is that the dispersant (as in spread out) converts the spill into tiny droplets in suspension that seem invisible to the naked eye. That of course makes the amateur environmentalist happy because it is no longer an eyesore. However the real truth is that a detergent is known to be toxic. Detergents will dissolve the natural oils of sea birds and cause them to sink and drown. The toxic effects of the detergents are well known to be harmful. If one were to take a sample of water after treating an oil spill with dispersants, and measure the parts per million toxicity or presence of oil in the water, it would quickly be evident that the parts were far in excess of what is considered safe for human or animal consumption (fresh water of course since we don't drink seawater, but you get the point).
A far better alternatives to dispersants are solidifying polymeric absorbents, that permanently lock up the oil (molecules) so that the oil no longer is a liquid pollutant, even if it comes in contact with wildlife or plants. The resulting solid matrix will float indefinitely and can be allowed to drift ashore as a non-polluting solid and then easily collected for disposal without exposing workers or the environment to the liquid oil. We all remember the pictures of the workers trying to use paper towels to mop up the Exxon Valedez oil spill. However, although the oil companies are aware of these new products, they ignore them because they are more expensive to buy and store for responding to a spill which is why they opt for the detergent approach, claiming it is easier.This does not take into consideration the damage to the environment using disperants or doing nothing.
This is a still from a video presentation from our website showing the solidification process that you may view in its entirety by selecting this link.