A possible way to help clean up the oil spill?

[Subdivisions]

Run time: 06:38 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5SxX2EntEo   Posted on YouTube: May 05, 2010 By YouTube Member: MrTaxman01 Views on YouTube: 2971   Posted on DU: May 07, 2010 By DU Member: Subdivisions Views on DU: 1668

 
This looks fairly promising. Could maybe be used in areas where oil is approaching coastal or marsh areas.

What do y'all think?

[tomm2thumbs]

1. interesting - like a charcoal filter for oil

hopefully they can test it en masse - that stuff sure does want to stick to something, so may as well give it something to attach to other than wildlife

[Flagrante]

2. Wonder if they tried it with salt water?

[szatmar666]

3. I wonder how does it scale?!

We are potentially talking about millions a barrels, 2 million/month to be exact. If it lasts for 6 months, it can be 12 million barrels of crude. Exxon Valdez was 1.4 million. there is not enough straw in the world to soak that much oil up. The Gulf Coast is a waste land for 100 years at least, that's a fact! the only question is if it's going to reach Key West and the everglades too via the Golf Stream.

I also wonder why they haven't tried this on the Valdez spill, were they stupid in 1989, or this technology just wasn't around?! LOL!

[EnviroBat]

10. I was wondering the exact same thing.

the salt water may effect the adhesion properties of the hay. But it's an idea none the less, and it gave me some hope.

[pauldg0]

4. We need to get this going right away.

..If every farmer in America donated a truck load of hay this slick could be taken care of. Beef prices might go up, but hell we could eat beans for a while!!!???

I'm being silly, but this is great that America is pulling together it's inginuity to solve problems, just like we did during World War II. That is a great idea!!!

[liberalla]

5. Does anyone know for sure if the straw/grass will NOT sink?

They say it won't, but if it fully absorbs the oil, and there's still more oil coating it---will it eventually sink? Or, is the oil just so buoyant that it will prevent the straw from ever sinking?

I sure like the idea of a natural substance being used to remove the oil.

[Subdivisions]

12. It should still float. OIl floats. Straw floats. Still a good question. Like those above,

I wonder about performance in salt water. And I agree, I also like the idea of using straw and greass to clean up oil. And, as the man in the video says, maybe it can be burned in a refuse power generation plant like the one in my town.

[Paper Roses]

6. The scale would be huge but this sounds like such a good idea.

Start immediately spreading hay around as a barrier as plans for higher tech approach are being formulated. Anything, even something as simple as this is a huge help.

[Festivito]

7. In short: Oil attaches to floating hay, oil soaked hay floats and is easily pulled.

It seems a good way to stop oil before it reaches the beaches. I haven't thought out the possible problems. Have to get to work.

[activa8tr]

8. Great video. K+R

[stlsaxman]

9. Speechless. So damned simple...

:wow:

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

11. Another natural way to clean oil spills

This idea is already in place, according to the website.

http://www.matteroftrust.org/

A snippet from the site:

OIL SPILL HAIRBOOMS AND HAIRMATS
Here we look at fibers (hair, wool, fur, feathers...). Thousands of salons mail us hair clippings, swept up off their floors, and the fibers are stuffed into booms or woven into hair mats. We all know about shampooing our oily hair, but it took Phill McCrory, a stylist from Alabama, to realize that hair was also an efficient and abundant material for collecting and containing petroleum spills.

Even more....

ALERTS
5/6/10 WAVE 3 - We have more new warehouses and are sending out more addresses for hair!
Sign up to get an email with the site to send yours in!

Today, so many communities are contacting us since they are collecting hair / fur / nylons on large scales around the country. We have all decided to orchestrate a NATIONAL FIBER RECYCLING & OIL BOOM MAKING SYSTEM. With 2600 small oil spills a year all over, each community will be more prepared!

We hope this will also create green jobs (pick ups, boom making). We dream that this will bring the textile industry back to the US so we can make our mats here!

China has been recycling hair and all fibers for over 3,000 years. Their textile industry is BOOMING. Hair mats are basically like flat square dread locks, we really are industrious enough to make these in the US again, too!

Sign up and join us, Please!

Here is a page describing how the "Hair Mats" are assembled.

http://www.matteroftrust.org/programs/hairmatsinfo2.html

I'm off work today and going to the numerous salons in my area to ask them to donate the hair they sweep up and throw away each and every hour.

Gotta get outa here.

[ellenfl]

13. hairdressers and pet groomers

are collecting hair/fur for the same result. here's hopin'!

ellen fl

[safeinOhio]

14. Hay price goes up

horses go hungry.

just saying.

[sulphurdunn]

15. All they need do now

is convince the right people that it was their idea.