New products and techniques will have to be developed to combat the massive environmental disaster about to unfold in the Gulf of  Mexico.  Urgent efforts to fight the spill have engendered an offer of help from a little company from the “land down under”.

An Australian company called Aquatain has developed a product called Gladiator – a silicone-based liquid which spreads across the surface of the water and pushes oil away as it spreads, concentrating it for easy collection.  By applying Gladiator at appropriate locations around a spill, the oil can be directed towards booms or skimmers – potentially reducing the labor required to clean up the oil spill – particularly in those areas which are difficult to access like marshes and islands. 

“Silicones are ideal materials for this purpose as they have a very low surface tension, which translates into a very high spreading pressure to combat the spreading pressure of the oil,” according to Graham Strachan, director of Aquatain Products.

Gladiator can be poured on to the water and it will self-spread until it forms a very thin layer (called a monolayer) on the surface.  The film is almost invisible, but is very resilient: wind action or wave action will not break it up.

“In addition, silicones are safe to use in the environment: within a few days, they degrade into silicates – the most common mineral in the earth’s crust,” he said. “Being very thin, the film does not affect the activities of birds or other aquatic life,” per Mr. Strachan.

The company already markets two other products which use the same technology.  These products are used for mosquito control and for reducing evaporation from water bodies.  The principle is the same in each case, with the silicone liquid forming a very thin film on the surface.  These related products are certified by NSF International for application to drinking water storage in the US.

Note: Will this product work?  Is there enough supply to make it widely applicable?  We’ll try to find out.

source: prnewswire

(photo credit: matter of trust.org)