New Shoreline Oil Cleanup Ideas Evaluated

July 2, 2010

Inventors had the opportunity to show off their ideas for cleaning up the oil on Pensacola Beach Thursday.

The event evaluated 10 different technologies that may offer additional capabilities to clean oil impacted beaches along Florida’s coastline. The companies that participated in the evaluation event utilize a wide range of technologies including absorbent powder, beach screening devices and surfactants, substances that reduce the thickness of liquid products to enable an easier cleanup.

“Today’s event served as a great way to evaluate solutions on actual impacts along Florida’s beaches,” said Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Michael W. Sole. “We will continue to exhaust every tool to ensure the best possible outcome for Florida’s environment, economy and quality of life.”

The various technologies were evaluated, at the event, in the areas of effectiveness and efficiency of clean-up operation, ease of deployment, efficiency of disposal and scalability. Representatives from DEP’s Division of Waste Management served as evaluators. In addition, there were observers from DEP’s Bureau of Beaches and Coastal Systems, DEP’s Bureau of Emergency Response as well as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Prior to today’s event, an initial evaluation was conducted by a team of DEP staff looking for solutions that would not cause harm to the environment or human health, appeared to be feasible and effective, available in sufficient quantities to be valuable and would not interfere with other cleanup technologies.

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Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News