A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill

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MasterG2kTR -> A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 8:14:25 AM)
A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill I know there are already a couple threads going on this topic, but I didn't want this potential solution to get buried in the other threads that are already deep in posts. This solution is so simple and green that it's like "DUHHH" why aren't we already doing this with the oil that is floating around right now. Granted that stopping the flow is the ultimate objective. However, the immediate threat to the coastlines must also be addressed. I don't think it could get much easier or cheaper to deal with the problem.

DomKen -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 9:22:23 AM)
The issue is quantity and area. The spill is well over 10,000 tons of crude dispersed over many hundreds of square miles. The demonstration showed that hay would absorb about its own weight in crude. So we'd need some way to gather 10,000+ tons of hay and then some way to spread it across the area of the spill and then to recover most of it.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 9:42:46 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen The issue is quantity and area. The spill is well over 10,000 tons of crude dispersed over many hundreds of square miles. The demonstration showed that hay would absorb about its own weight in crude. So we'd need some way to gather 10,000+ tons of hay and then some way to spread it across the area of the spill and then to recover most of it. Probably even more than that - far more, in fact. The oil is mixed in with millions of tons of seawater. What's to stop the hay from soaking up seawater along with the oil? Once it's soaked with water, it can't absorb any more oil, right? I don't think there is enough hay in the world to soak up the entire Gulf of Mexico.

MasterG2kTR -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 12:00:01 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ThatDamnedPanda Probably even more than that - far more, in fact. The oil is mixed in with millions of tons of seawater. What's to stop the hay from soaking up seawater along with the oil? Once it's soaked with water, it can't absorb any more oil, right? I don't think there is enough hay in the world to soak up the entire Gulf of Mexico. The hay doesn't actually absorb the oil, rather the oil sticks to the surface of the hay thru cohesion. It's just like getting oil on your hands or (worse) on your clothes. It's a bitch to get it off. Essentially, the oil is looking for something to form a molecular bond with. There are plenty of free bonding points within the carbon atoms that make the petroleum molcules. As far as soaking up seawater, you first have to remember that the oil is floating on top of the water. So if you spread the hay directly into the slick it's going to get to the oil first, before it would get down to the water. And it's not the entire Gulf of Mexico we are talking about. Even if the just concentrate on the larger slicks floating out there, that's still a huge step towards solving the problem. As opposed to what they are doing now which is next to nothing in the grand scale of it all.

flcouple2009 -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 1:07:19 PM)
Yep, it was working great in a bowl where he was mixing it up the entire time. Let's try a demonstration with something larger like maybe a swimming pool.

MC4Misfit -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 1:24:01 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: DomKen The issue is quantity and area. The spill is well over 10,000 tons of crude dispersed over many hundreds of square miles. The demonstration showed that hay would absorb about its own weight in crude. So we'd need some way to gather 10,000+ tons of hay and then some way to spread it across the area of the spill and then to recover most of it. To build on that point, they mentioned that farmers will have crops of it ready to harvest in a few weeks. First, that's weeks more of oil spilling before you can even harvest the hay, then transport it, etc. Also, they planted that hay to feed their animals. You'd be a lot less thrilled with this idea when the price of beef triples...or more. Then as for their idea to burn it for energy, who many incinerators do we have set up to handle it? Then there's the air pollution issue...you're just converting it to a different form of pollution. Also, the hay will be soaking wet, so it's not going to burn well. It's good to see people trying to be innovative, but this idea really isn't practical on this scale.

thompsonx -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 5:50:39 PM)
edited for clarity

thornhappy -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/9/2010 5:58:31 PM)
Another issue is that they used refined oil from the looks of it, and spilled crude mixed with turbulent seawater can make for nasty sticky clumps o' goo that may not be picked up by the straw.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/10/2010 10:27:24 AM)
quote: ORIGINAL: thornhappy ...make for nasty sticky clumps o' goo... Sounds like some new breakfast cereal for teenaged boys.

pyroaquatic -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/11/2010 12:43:28 PM)
This situation cannot be sated with a simple solution. This is a very complex problem. The incredibly sad part is we never listened or cared about the potential hazard. There were several voices with PhDs that warned us seventeen years ago. In that seventeen years we did nothing. Seventeen years worth of profit without the ability to even fix this spill and NOW we are clamoring for the solutions but coming up incredibly short. In my opinion I believe we are all at fault for this. We enabled this for the sake of saving a buck and letting the environment take the brunt of our desires. Everyone is going to pay for this. We the People is NOT bollocks. We are people and control is merely an illusion-if you catch my drift.

subtee -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/11/2010 12:45:35 PM)
What about an enormous shopvac?

Aneirin -> RE: A Simple (and Green) Solution to the Oil Spill (5/11/2010 4:46:11 PM)
Those that have the technology to find and deliver the stuff, must also have the technology to recover the stuff if it finds it's way into the wrong enviroment. The whole situation to me looks like a complete fuck up and nature as always will bear the brunt and undoubtedly the company losses will be passed onto the cash strapped customer

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