Interviews
IFAI members supply oil boom containment materials
29 May '10
5 min read
The multitasking textile is called Fibertect, developed by Ramkumar at Texas Tech; and manufactured by Hobbs Bonded Fibers for First Line Technology.
Fibertect incorporates a top and bottom cotton fabric with a center layer of fibrous activated carbon that is needle-punched into a composite fabric. Ramkumar says documented research shows that the properties of raw cotton allow it to soak up 40 times its weight. "With chemical modifications, it can soak up to as much as 70 times its weight."
Its unique structure has absorbents that can tackle hydrocarbon vapor release and micro droplets in the water due to dispersant usage. So used in an oil-absorbent material it grabs the bad stuff right out of the water and holds onto it.
The fabric is also very soft and pliable, so it has tremendous capacity as a good frontline method for the decontamination of oiled birds and other wildlife.
"And it won't just stay in a landfill forever," adds Ramkumar. "Unlike synthetic materials, Fibertect is made from raw cotton and carbon so it's biodegradable and non-toxic. The raw cotton contains anaerobic bacteria due to soil contact. Over days, these microbes not only degrade the wipe but also disintegrate the oil."
First Line Technology President Amit Kapoor says that "Fibertect allows for a green, environmentally safe, biodegradable technology that is perfect for the expanding effort to protect and decontaminate coastal lands and wildlife. We welcome the opportunity to work with the government, BP, or other oil companies in a joint effort to defend and preserve our planet."
Finding clean-up and coast protection materials
IFAI continues to update its website and LinkedIn page with the latest news and discussions of the spill. A list of suppliers involved in efforts to contain the spill is available on the IFAI home page. To be added to the list contact IFAI's Information and Technical Services Manager Juli Case.
What happens next?
Demand for specialty fabrics will continue after containment materials are in place. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is working with BP to provide equipment to protect the more than 2,000 volunteers and 3,000 personnel working on or near the site from hazardous materials.
Once the booms are removed, they will need to be disposed of properly. Many bags of debris from the Exxon Valdez spill on March 24, 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, were sent to a hazardous waste landfill in Arlington, Oregon.
A similar facility will be utilized to store waste from the GOM spill and will require geosynthetic materials to properly line the landfill. IFAI and its flagship publication Specialty Fabrics Review magazine will continue to track this story and the important role of fabrics in the spill recovery.
Fibertect incorporates a top and bottom cotton fabric with a center layer of fibrous activated carbon that is needle-punched into a composite fabric. Ramkumar says documented research shows that the properties of raw cotton allow it to soak up 40 times its weight. "With chemical modifications, it can soak up to as much as 70 times its weight."
Its unique structure has absorbents that can tackle hydrocarbon vapor release and micro droplets in the water due to dispersant usage. So used in an oil-absorbent material it grabs the bad stuff right out of the water and holds onto it.
The fabric is also very soft and pliable, so it has tremendous capacity as a good frontline method for the decontamination of oiled birds and other wildlife.
"And it won't just stay in a landfill forever," adds Ramkumar. "Unlike synthetic materials, Fibertect is made from raw cotton and carbon so it's biodegradable and non-toxic. The raw cotton contains anaerobic bacteria due to soil contact. Over days, these microbes not only degrade the wipe but also disintegrate the oil."
First Line Technology President Amit Kapoor says that "Fibertect allows for a green, environmentally safe, biodegradable technology that is perfect for the expanding effort to protect and decontaminate coastal lands and wildlife. We welcome the opportunity to work with the government, BP, or other oil companies in a joint effort to defend and preserve our planet."
Finding clean-up and coast protection materials
IFAI continues to update its website and LinkedIn page with the latest news and discussions of the spill. A list of suppliers involved in efforts to contain the spill is available on the IFAI home page. To be added to the list contact IFAI's Information and Technical Services Manager Juli Case.
What happens next?
Demand for specialty fabrics will continue after containment materials are in place. The Occupational Safety & Health Administration is working with BP to provide equipment to protect the more than 2,000 volunteers and 3,000 personnel working on or near the site from hazardous materials.
Once the booms are removed, they will need to be disposed of properly. Many bags of debris from the Exxon Valdez spill on March 24, 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, were sent to a hazardous waste landfill in Arlington, Oregon.
A similar facility will be utilized to store waste from the GOM spill and will require geosynthetic materials to properly line the landfill. IFAI and its flagship publication Specialty Fabrics Review magazine will continue to track this story and the important role of fabrics in the spill recovery.
IFAI(Industrial Fabrics Association International)
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