Want to absorb some oil? - Try corn cobs NOW

[Are_grits_groceries]

<snip>
It turns out that a number of interesting ideas have been proposed, including the use of human hair and cotton gin waste. But by far the most compelling idea I've heard about comes from a Michigan woman named Adria Brown. Brown's company, Recovery I Inc., has developed and patented a product called Golden Retriever that is designed to recover oil from water. It is made from corn cobs. Corn cobs turn out to be especially effective in this task, due to the fact that they are buoyant, and the fact that they tend to spin in moving water, which exposes their entire surface to the oil which clings readily to it. The absorption occurs quickly, and once adhered to, the cob will remain afloat without leaching, for over 24 hours allowing plenty of time for retrieval using skimmers. As an added benefit, the oil can be completely recovered by centrifuge and the cobs can be reused. Brown has been working with an extensive farm network across the Midwest, led by Feeders Grain and Supply of Corning, Iowa, to acquire the needed materials in quantity. Together, they have amassed a stockpile of close to 34,000 tons of material that is ready to be deployed to the Gulf, where it can be administered using barges, that is, as soon as someone down there asks for it. Sen. Chuck Grassley has also been involved, helping to move the paperwork in Washington.

Where will the manpower come from? How about the thousands of fishermen who are now out of work and are willing to do anything they can to save their livelihood? How about paying them instead of paying expensive outside consultants with their exotic chemical cocktails? According to Ott, who was on location in Lafayette, LA, when I spoke to her, "the people down here are looking for something that is "bayou-degradable."

We can only hope that the folks in charge of the cleanup will listen to sensible suggestions, rather that continuing to rely on rash measures, in the appearance of "doing something" about the problem.
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rp-siegel/how-to-clean-up-the-oil-l_b_578748.html

Recovery I, Inc. site: http://recoveryiinc.net/donations.html

Why don't the moogs running this show try this? No money in it like their chemical dispersants??

It's damn well worth a shot. I'd put a corn cob somewhere for each of them if they objected.
Grassley should be jumping up and down about this, and the government should tell BP to get the hell out of the way. If it doesn't work well after a try, then scoop them up and stop.

BTW the rest of the article is very informative. Grim, but informative.

[HopeHoops]

1. Note to teabaggers: Corn cobs are also good for use in the outhouse.

I doubt they've discovered toilet paper.