US 8,702,989 B2 · Method and composition for environmental clean up

Abstract

A method and absorbent material for cleaning up contaminants, such as a petroleum-based product, with little to no water absorption. The absorbent material may include sheets, disks, or spheres of polymer-based plastic material of one to two inches thick that is manufactured and pre-conditioned to enhance absorption characteristics. The absorbent material may include smaller sieve sizes ranging from 16 to 100 that facilitate absorption and collection of a petroleum-based contaminant. Alternatively or additionally, the absorbent material may include larger sieve sizes ranging from 4 to 10 that facilitate transfer of the petroleum-based contaminant to the surface of the absorbent material. The absorbent material may be deployed at sea for a matter of minutes, and after absorbing a portion of the petroleum-based contaminant, then recovered by a recovery vessel, such as via netting, scooping, and/or vacuuming means. After which, the petroleum-based contaminant may be extracted from the absorbent material for re-use.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An absorbent material for the removal of petroleum-based products from water with little to no water absorption, the absorbent material comprising:

a sheet of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer-based plastic, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic comprising at least approximately seventy percent PVC polymer with the remainder including a non-zero percentage of both inert filler and a process aid which is an acrylic compound,
wherein the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic has a thickness of between approximately one inch and approximately two inches and is configured to float on water, and the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic further comprising particulates having sieve sizes between approximately sixteen and approximately one-hundred such that when the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic is deployed on top of a body of water containing a petroleum-based product, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic will absorb the petroleum-based product from the body of water with little to no water absorption and retain the petroleum-based product for at least approximately thirty minutes before the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic will lose buoyancy to allow for recovery of the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic from the body of water.

A method of extracting a petroleum-based product from water with little to no absorption of water, the method comprising:

deploying a sheet of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer-based plastic configured to float on water onto a body of water containing a petroleum-based product, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic comprising at least approximately seventy percent PVC polymer and having a thickness of between approximately one inch and approximately two inches, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic further comprising particulates having sieve sizes between approximately sixteen and approximately one-hundred such that when the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic is deployed on top of the body of water containing the petroleum-based product, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic will absorb the petroleum-based product from the body of water with little to no water absorption while the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic remains buoyant;
waiting a sufficient period of time to allow the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic to absorb a portion of the petroleum-based product from the body of water;
and
recovering the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic from the body of water after the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic has become at least partially saturated with the petroleum-based plastic such that the portion of the petroleum-based product absorbed by the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic is extracted from the body of water.

1 more element

A method of extracting a contaminant from water with little to no absorption of water, the method comprising:

pre-conditioning a sheet of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer-based plastic for extracting a contaminant from a body of water by cutting the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic to open absorption pores of the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic to facilitate absorption of the contaminant by the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic comprising at least approximately seventy percent PVC polymer and having a thickness of between approximately one inch and approximately two inches;
deploying the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic onto the body of water containing the contaminant;
waiting a sufficient period of time to allow the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic to absorb a portion of the contaminant from the body of water with little to no water absorption and while the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic remains buoyant;
and
recovering the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic from the body of water after the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic has absorbed at least a portion of the contaminant such that the portion of the contaminant absorbed by the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic is extracted from the body of water with little to no absorption of water by the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic.

2 more elements

A method of extracting a contaminant from water with little to no absorption of water, the method comprising:

deploying a sheet of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymer-based plastic configured to float on water onto a body of water containing a contaminant, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic comprising compressed particulates having sieve sizes between approximately four and approximately ten and a thickness of approximately equal to or greater than a thickness of contaminants in the body of water such that when the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic is deployed on top of the body of water containing the contaminant, the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic absorbs the contaminant from the body of water with little to no water absorption while remaining buoyant;
waiting a sufficient period of time to allow the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic to absorb at least a portion of the contaminant from the body of water;
and
recovering the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic from the body of water after the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic has absorbed at least a portion of the contaminant with little to no absorption of water such that the portion of the contaminant absorbed by the sheet of PVC polymer-based plastic is removed from the body of water.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and composition for environmental clean up

Life of this patent

Method and composition for environmental clean up

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20