CW Roberts' employees propose to clean-up Gulf oil spill with hay

Transcription

1 Page 1 60 of 1000 DOCUMENTS May 12, 2010 Wednesday 5:53 AM EST CW Roberts' employees propose to clean-up Gulf oil spill with hay LENGTH: 213 words Eco Factor: Ingenious idea to clean up Gulf oil spill using hay and straw. The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster and most efforts to stop the leak and clean up water have not been quite successful thus far. While several researchers are pushing the limits of technology to try and prevent any further damage to the ecosystem, two men are demonstrating a unique, inexpensive and above all environmentally-friendly method to grab the oil off the surface of water. These men, Darryl Carpenter, VP of Florida-based CW Roberts Contracting, and sub-contractor Otis Goodson have found out that simply blowing hay on the surface of contaminated water and stirring it will make the hay absorb oil. Oil-laden hay can then simply be collected to purify water. After proving their idea in two pans, the team now wants to prove themselves on a 10-acre area in the Gulf waters. To jump start the process, the company is organizing another demonstration to show how a hay blower and a conveyor can be put out on a boat to distribute the hay and then pick it up. Via: AutoBlogGreen ( Post ( LOAD-DATE: June 21, 2010 Copyright 2010, distributed by Contify.com

2 Page 2 67 of 1000 DOCUMENTS May 12, 2010 Wednesday 12:21 PM EST 7 cleanup solutions for the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill LENGTH: 584 words All set to eclipse the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill as the worst US oil disaster in history, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill ( - an eco-debacle inflicted by BP and Transocean Ltd - is discharging an estimated 210,000-1,100,000 US gallons of crude oil daily. Already covering a surface area of at least 2,500 square miles, the disaster has exposed the Gulf of Mexico's fishing industry, tourism, and habitat of hundreds of bird species to an incomparable loss. Now, it asks for some speedy measures to limit its horrendous impact. Besides blocking off bays and estuaries, using anchored barriers, and floating booms along shorelines, here are some solutions for speedy cleanup of the oil spill: Underwater dome proposed: BP engineers are designing and developing a giant underwater dome that could be placed over the leak to suck up the oil. Though the idea of the dome has been tried since 1979, but it never tastes success. More here ( Comprehensive Deepwater Oil and Gas Blowout Model (CDOG): Using known information about deepwater spills, the Comprehensive Deepwater Oil and Gas Blowout Model ( (CDOG) can predict the next course of dispersal of the Gulf oil spill. After locating the dispersal, virtual chemicals could be added to see whether they spread the oil around or thin it. More here ( Hay comes for rescue: Thinkers from Florida-based CW Roberts Contracting suggest that excess oil can be extracted by blowing hay on water-surface, and later stirring it. They wish to prove themselves on a 10-acre area in the Gulf waters. More here ( "Rock Breathing" bacteria: Scientists at East Anglia University, UK, have found the nifty microscopic organisms a huge help in cleaning up oil spills since they can live in the Earth's sub-surface without needing oxygen for survival. These can help us clean up areas contaminated with toxic heavy metals and the disastrous oil slick. More here ( Lend your locks: Matter of Trust ( San Francisco-based nonprofit collects landfill-bound locks and then stuffs it into nylon hose to create absorbent "booms." A pound of hair can absorb a quart of oil in one minute and reused up to 100 times. Moreover, 98 percent of the oil sopped up by the mats can be recovered. More here ( Creation of new islands: Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal's appeals to dump dredged materials across the barrier islands off the coast to fight oil slick. He says this would strengthen existing islands, and even create brand new ones. More here (

3 Page 3 7 cleanup solutions for the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill May 12, 2010 Wednesday 12:21 PM EST Containment Box may stop leak: A BP representative says that robots will position a containment box, about 4 feet in diameter, 5 feet tall and weighing just under two tons, over the gusher undersea by Thursday. Known as "top hat", the box will prevent the ice buildup. More here ( LOAD-DATE: June 21, 2010 Copyright 2010, distributed by Contify.com

4 Page of 1000 DOCUMENTS August 7, 2010 Saturday 10:31 AM EST New material solidifies spilled oil in the ocean for easy removal LENGTH: 240 words We are almost four months into the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill ( Fwiki%2FDeepwater_Horizon_oil_spill&ei=kDRdTJuNHIL8vQOvj7WZDA&usg=AFQjCNHXLbu3DJVHN4dYv1szR5 K0iEWLrA), but there is still a lot required to be done to clean up the ocean of almost 5 million barrels of oil spilled into the water. To deal with the unfortunate oil spills, researchers in the US have developed a very unique soap-like material with liking for oil. What this material does is, it creates a strong gel, which turns liquid oil on the surface of the water into floating solid that can then be easily scooped away. Being non-toxic in nature the material can be separated from oil for reuse. When the material hits water, the molecules create a sponge-like network of fibers that strongly attract oil and repel water. The oil is drawn into the fiber network, swelling the "sponge." The resulting oil-swollen gel is strong enough to be scooped up with a slotted spoon. The material will not be used to help the Gulf oil spill, because the material is still being tested in the City College of New York and University of Maryland labs. Manufacturing of the material is pretty expensive now, for which the researchers next motive it determine if the material can be made cheaper and more effectual. Via: DiscoveryNews ( LOAD-DATE: August 7, 2010 Copyright 2010, distributed by Contify.com

5 Page of 1000 DOCUMENTS July 29, 2010 Thursday 7:46 AM EST Cell phone makes it on 'test' basis at the golfing course LENGTH: 194 words While tracking the cell phone revolution here at Cell Phone Beat, we are fascinated to see cell phones, of all things, playing critical role in different sectors (apart from telecom). While last week it came to our attention that cell phones are being used to ease the Gulf oil spill clean-up ( it came as a little surprise to know that cell phones be allowed on 'test' basis at PGA Tour event. Tour executive vice president and chief of operations Rick George said fans will be allowed to compose, send and receive text messages, as long as the alerts for incoming texts are not audible. Since it's on 'test' basis, we could not expect more however, given the capabilities of cell phones and "smart" phones, we can expect the sneak peak or probably live streaming of the golfing action on internet. Note: Fans will not be allowed to take still pictures or video with their devices. It sounds like you can bring your cake, but can't have it. Via: Jacksonville ( vent) LOAD-DATE: July 29, 2010 Copyright 2010, distributed by Contify.com