Nanotechnology
Innovation Enables Recovery and Reuse of Spilled Oil
September 7, 2005
Interface Sciences Corporation announced that in response to
oil spill problems stemming from the current Hurricane Katrina
disaster and oil crises, the company is launching its
proprietary oil remediation and recovery application.
Interface Sciences treated material absorbs about 40 times it
weight in oil, far exceeding existing commercially available
remediation materials. Because water is completely rejected by
the ISC material, the oil can be recovered for use, a
substantial benefit in oil spill cleanup efforts. The new oil
cleanup solution uses patented Self-Assembled Monolayer (SAMs)
technology.
ISC Chief Executive Officer Mitch Hawkins said, "Interface
Sciences Corporation wants to make this highly effective
material widely available to help mitigate the environmental and
health impacts caused by the approximate 3,000 worldwide annual
oil spills, and in particular oil spill damage caused by
Hurricane Katrina."
The announcement of this innovation comes about six months
ahead of the company's original planned rollout. ISC President
Chuck Fishel said, "We were not really set up to produce enough
of this exciting material, but thought we had to put it out
there given the emergency in the Southeast. We can probably
generate enough for use with environmental cleanup of wildlife,
but need to find a partner to accelerate the production and
distribution of major quantities for large leaks and spills."
Interface Sciences Corporation is a development stage
nanotechnology commercialization company holding platform
technologies originally developed by a major government
laboratory. The company's emphasis is on materials and surface
innovation at the nanoscale. It controls several hundred
technological applications and works in fields as varied as oil
spill remediation, fiber composites and composite structures,
computer circuit boards, MEMS, sports equipment, nanoparticle
functionalization and paper treatments.
Source: Interface Sciences Corporation
September 7, 2005 |