Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Norwegian peat moss could be used to soak up Gulf oil: company
AFP on Yahoo ^ | 5/18/10 | AFP

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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: energy; norwegian; offshore; oil; peatmoss

1 posted on 05/18/2010 11:57:26 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

A lot of Norwegians I know would work well too ! (my Danish heritage is speaking !!)


2 posted on 05/18/2010 11:59:51 AM PDT by llevrok (A stranger in my own country)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

“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?


3 posted on 05/18/2010 12:00:21 PM PDT by Spok (Free Range Republican)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

I guess we don’t have to use their peat moss we can use American straw!!!!!


4 posted on 05/18/2010 12:01:20 PM PDT by tallyhoe
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: llevrok

Too bad it’s not an alcohol spill - or we could have the Irish drink it up.


5 posted on 05/18/2010 12:02:24 PM PDT by PetroniusMaximus
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

“bugs” too.

There is a bug that simply eats oil. Put in ground for remediation not sure if survives in water.


6 posted on 05/18/2010 12:02:51 PM PDT by edcoil (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Invest in peat moss!


7 posted on 05/18/2010 12:03:12 PM PDT by ilovesarah2012
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Spok

Yeah, now we need to import Peat Moss..........?? ;-)


8 posted on 05/18/2010 12:04:19 PM PDT by Dem Guard ("We're Coming to Take You Away ")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

these guys clean up the oil with straw/hay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUaC6zY6afA


9 posted on 05/18/2010 12:10:17 PM PDT by mimi from mi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

these guys clean up the oil with straw/hay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUaC6zY6afA


10 posted on 05/18/2010 12:10:52 PM PDT by mimi from mi
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: llevrok

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!!!


11 posted on 05/18/2010 12:18:47 PM PDT by hawkeye101 (Electing lawyers to political office is like hiring a raging alcoholic to run your bar!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
The company, Kallak Torvstroefabrikk...

They could probably make a lot of money by selling their excess consonants...

12 posted on 05/18/2010 12:23:33 PM PDT by Zeppo ("Happy Pony is on - and I'm NOT missing Happy Pony")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Good old American hay, does the same thing and a lot cheaper.


13 posted on 05/18/2010 12:30:23 PM PDT by fish hawk (Dreaming in my flight, I fly beyond my dreams.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: fish hawk

straw bales, lots easier to lug around and less expensive..

used to haul piles of it come harvest time.


14 posted on 05/18/2010 12:32:23 PM PDT by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi ... Godspeed .. Monthly Donor Onboard .. Chuck DeVore - CA Senator. Believe.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: tallyhoe

Enormous source of sphagnum moss in n. mn. In fact there is a company there trying to sell their product to BP also.


15 posted on 05/18/2010 12:35:37 PM PDT by DManA
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

As long as it is Made In America! LOL


16 posted on 05/18/2010 12:44:20 PM PDT by fish hawk (Dreaming in my flight, I fly beyond my dreams.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
There once was a spill, or should I say
a plume in the deep
oil leaked in the sea, all the fault of
a group called BP
The fixes they tried were making no difference at all
no one seemed to find a solution to stall

Then, before defeat
someone discovered
Norwegian Peat.

17 posted on 05/18/2010 12:53:21 PM PDT by theDentist (fybo; qwerty ergo typo : i type, therefore i misspelll)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge
Peat moss? At what price?

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!

18 posted on 05/18/2010 8:25:34 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge; mimi from mi
Mimi from MI posted the "hay" video in #9 # #10, above...

Guess those good ol' boys need suits, briefcases, Blackberries and $1K/hr consulting fees to be taken seriously... :-(

19 posted on 05/18/2010 8:32:05 PM PDT by TXnMA ("Allah": Satan's current alias...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: NormsRevenge

Isn’t it good, Norwegian wood?


20 posted on 05/18/2010 8:34:17 PM PDT by Flag_This (Real presidents don't bow.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

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.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson