Posted on 05/18/2010 11:57:26 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
OSLO (AFP) A small Norwegian company said Tuesday it had developed a peat moss mixture that could protect parts of the US coast from giant plumes of oil gushing from the wreckage of the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon platform in the Gulf of Mexico.
The company, Kallak Torvstroefabrikk, says one kilo (2.2 pounds) of its peat moss can absorb the equivalent of five times its weight in oil.
"This makes it possible to protect fragile stretches of the coast: a beach, a swamp, a nesting ground for birds," said Ragnar Kallak, who heads up the three-man company some 70 kilometres (43 miles) southeast of Oslo.
When placed near the shore, the peat moss, which is made up of decomposed vegetation, absorbs oil but not water, thus blocking the black liquid from polluting the coast, he told AFP.
The peat moss can also be used to clean beaches and rocks already hit by an oil slick, he explained.
"It's high-tech nature," Kallak said.
According to Norwegian scientific and industrial research group Sintef, the absorption method worked well when it was tested in 2009 after the Full City tanker ran aground off Norway's southeastern coast.
Kallak said he had been contacted by a fungi specialist from New Orleans, David Jonsson, who said he had been approached by the US Environmental Protection Agency, which was interested in looking into the peat moss clean-up method.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
A lot of Norwegians I know would work well too ! (my Danish heritage is speaking !!)
“Norwegian peat moss could be used to soak up Gulf oil: company”
Why don’t we try using Democrats? How much oil will an empty suit hold anyway?
I guess we don’t have to use their peat moss we can use American straw!!!!!
Too bad it’s not an alcohol spill - or we could have the Irish drink it up.
“bugs” too.
There is a bug that simply eats oil. Put in ground for remediation not sure if survives in water.
Invest in peat moss!
Yeah, now we need to import Peat Moss..........?? ;-)
If we found out that Lutefisk could soak up the oil, we could rid the gulf of oil, and rid the world of it’s entire supply of Lutefisk. 2 great victories for humanity!!!
They could probably make a lot of money by selling their excess consonants...
Good old American hay, does the same thing and a lot cheaper.
straw bales, lots easier to lug around and less expensive..
used to haul piles of it come harvest time.
Enormous source of sphagnum moss in n. mn. In fact there is a company there trying to sell their product to BP also.
As long as it is Made In America! LOL
Then, before defeat
someone discovered
Norwegian Peat.
Over a week ago I saw a video of two guys in overalls who demonstrated that plain old Bahia Grass or Bermuda grass hay will soak up oil so effectively you can dip your hand in the cleaned water and feel no oil residue on it.
And there are tons of rolled bales in the fields hereabout. Heck, I bet even hay several years old would work just fine. And the equipment for handling and transporting round bales is readily available...
I can't believe the stupidfeds are not already using hay to protect beaches, at least...
Idiots!
Guess those good ol' boys need suits, briefcases, Blackberries and $1K/hr consulting fees to be taken seriously... :-(
Isn’t it good, Norwegian wood?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.