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A promising remedy for Gulf Coast cleanup
by Alison Zingaro
There is little doubt that the Deepwater Horizon spill is shaping up to be one of the worst oil disasters in US history. What remains a looming question is how best to handle containment and cleanup. Criticized by citizens, scientists and government officials for its overall unpreparedness and lack of organization, BP has been focusing the brunt of its efforts on capping the well and using chemical dispersants to break up the spill at the source of the leak. But what about the oil already washing up on shore, wreaking havoc on wildlife and communities along the Gulf Coast?
 The list of solutions, both proposed and in practice, is long and often debated: super-skimmers, man-made berms and sand jetties, controlled burning, oil-eating bacteria, and sorbent materials like hair, hay and fur. Belonging to this last category is the Smart Sponge (MC# 6485-01), one of our 2009 Material of the Year honorable mentions. Manufactured by AbTech Industries of Scottsdale, Arizona, this foam-like polymer can absorb up to three times its weight in hydrocarbons, converting the pollutants it takes in into a stable solid for easy recycling. Envisioned by AbTech CEO Glen Rink in response to the Exxon's 1989 Valdez spill, the sponge won’t leak or leach oil back into the environment and has already been used to help improve water quality in towns across the country.
But while the Smart Sponge seems like the perfect addition to BP’s arsenal, AbTech tells us its material has not yet been used in any large-scale cleanup effort. As Rink recently explained to Popular Mechanics, the reason may have something to do with the “strange business of oil-spill cleanup,” specifically logistical and operational issues stemming from third party contractors hired to deal with the mess. AbTech, however, remains hopeful that this will change, and is currently testing their material in a variety of different deployment methods.
So for now, the Smart Sponge is waiting on the sidelines, ready to help as soon as the call comes. M
Photo (top) by NASA Goddard Photo and Video
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