https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
    • Latest videos
    • Product Guides
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE Expo
    • Calendar of Events
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Public Works & Utilities


Product with long history is fighting Gulf spill

Product with long history is fighting Gulf spill

Oil-absorbent booms made from a 3,000-year-old Egyptian hibiscus plant called kenaf are containing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Written by Michael Keating ([email protected])
  • 24th June 2010

Oil-absorbent booms made from a 3,000-year-old Egyptian hibiscus plant called kenaf are containing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill throughout the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to containing the oil, the booms serve as a barrier that keeps oil off boats, docks and pilings.

ErosionTech, a Juliette, Ga.-based company that developed the product, has deployed 26,000 linear feet of kenaf boom in waters near Grande Lagoon Yacht Club in Escambia County, Fla., in wetlands near Houma, La., and at Orange Beach, Ala.

“We are going through a grassroots phase, that involves product demonstrations and testing,” said Josh Still, ErosionTech’s vice president of sales. “We anticipate that after the U.S. Coast Guard and BP tests it, and after municipalities try out the product, that we’ll then start to receive orders. Right now we are just ramping up production.”

The company currently has 40 employees at its 437,000-square-foot Juliette, Ga., facility. Still said the company has added more than a dozen staffers since the start of the Gulf spill and will continue to grow its work force. “If the product takes off, we will need to add to our production capacity and expand our work force,” Still told Govpro.com.

By this fall, ErosionTech could have as much as 90 million pounds of kenaf available for Gulf oil spill boom and oil absorbent blanket production.

The containment system that ErosionTech is using on the Gulf relies on kenaf blankets and booms that ensnare tarballs and oil. Crews remove and replace oil-saturated boom sections as needed. According to news reports, plans are under way to squeeze the oil from the fiber and make fuel pellets that could be burned in power plants as a substitute fuel supply.

“Kenaf is an environmentally friendly, biodegradable natural plant material that actually performs on the level of synthetically engineered fibers,” Still said. The company’s fiber source is Biotech Mills, which is a grower and processor in Snow Hill, N.C.

Still told Govpro.com that kenaf, a renewable plant fiber, offers the strength and absorption capabilities of synthetic fibers, and that it is suited for many erosion-control tasks.

“The next market we are launching it into is the erosion-control industry because of the new environmental regulations, including the phase 2 environmental compliance test that the U.S. EPA has set forth,” Still said. He added that state and local government highway and road departments and government contractors currently buy his firm’s kenaf booms.

ErosionTech also makes and distributes woven and nonwoven geotextiles, straw and coconut erosion control blankets, fence products, geogrids, hydroseeding products, landfill covers and sediment traps.

Related Stories

  • Need for equipment grows after Deepwater Horizon spill
  • Work boat firm ramps up production
  • Powdered solidifier immobilizes oil spills
  • To clean up hazardous spills, use emergency kit
  • Nontoxic absorbent encapsulates hazardous spills for removal

Tags: News Public Safety Public Works & Utilities Smart Cities & Technology

Most Recent


  • transportation
    U.S. Department of Transportation announces $1.5M funding opportunity
    Applications are open for $1.5 billion in grants through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. The funding, which will be distributed to selected projects next year, helps communities across the country carry out transportation-related projects that significantly impact local residents. “Across the country, I have seen firsthand how […]
  • Energy department announces $31M for local, state energy efficiency and conservation efforts
    In support of the nation’s push toward clean energy, the U.S. Department of Energy announced this month the recipients of more than $31 million in investments through the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant Program, which is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The money will support projects in 19 states and local communities, and is […]
  • sustainability
    Cities can achieve sustainability wins with micro transportation, green infrastructure and climate resilience planning
    In 2024, local governments will continue working on several sustainability targets, says Stephen McCauley, associate professor of teaching at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Mass. He says those targets and areas of interest include micro transportation, expanding electric vehicle charging infrastructure and reducing battery fire risk in electric vehicles. He predicts municipal governments will […]
  • disaster
    Fast disaster recovery construction projects
    There is profound wisdom embedded in the age-old saying attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” In today’s rapidly changing landscape, these words resonate with a heightened sense of urgency. The National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI) paints a stark picture in the United States: 2022 alone witnessed […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • NLC releases State of Cities 2021 report
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery
  • Ultrafast electric vehicle charging will propel local governments into the future

White papers


The Four Key Components of Successful Digital Transformation

22nd November 2023

Navigating Today’s Greatest Workplace Challenges

3rd October 2023

7 Resources to Level-up Your Federal Grants Administration and Compliance

5th September 2023
view all

Webinars


Grant Preparedness: Unlocking Funding Opportunities for Your Success

10th August 2023

2023 State of Public Sourcing: Taking Local Governments into a Bright Future

1st August 2023

Stop Playing with Fire: How to Manage Infrastructure Asset Risk So You Know You’re Covered

20th June 2023
view all

PODCAST


Podcast: Disaster Management Symposium preview

13th October 2023

Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020
view all

GALLERIES


Gallery: Top 10 domestic city travel destinations this Thanksgiving season

22nd November 2023

Gallery: 10 American cities that have seen substantial population growth in the last five years

6th November 2023

Gallery: 10 of America’s greenest large cities

24th October 2023
view all

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.