Home     News     Resource Store     Current Issue     Past Issues     Textile Resources     Buyers' Guide
    Career Center     Subscriptions     Feedback     Advertising     eNewsletter     Contact Us

March/April 2012

Cover

View Issue |

Subscribe Now |

Printer Friendly
Full Site

Dynamic Adsorbents Partners With Hobbs Bonded Fibers To Develop Cotton And Alumina-based Solution For Removing Oil From Gulf Of Mexico

NORCROSS, GA -- June 7, 2010 -- The British Petroleum (BP) oil spill controversy is raising eyebrows all over the world. Why? Not just because it is spewing an unprecedented volume of crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico every day, but because proven technologies are being overlooked that can dramatically reduce the effects of the oil spill on our environment and marine wildlife.

Dr. Mark Moskovitz, President and CTO of Dynamic Adsorbents, Inc. (DAI), Norcross (Atlanta) Ga., has spent his career in separation technology and is outraged by the oil spill clean-up decisions.

"While our environment is being destroyed right before our eyes, the problem is being compounded by decisions to use inferior products and technologies to remediate the effects of the spill," Dr. Moskovitz said. "While BP may not be able to fully stop the flow of oil, it and the Federal government have a responsibility to ensure that the best technologies and techniques are considered that can minimize the damage to our environment and the lives of the people whose way of life is threatened."

BP has recently sprayed almost one-million-gallons of Corexit Chemical dispersant into the ocean in an attempt to dissipate the crude oil. Unfortunately, the toxic dispersant is causing adverse effects and respiratory problems in the people working to clean up the spill.

DAI's solution is cotton impregnated with alumina.

Cotton's absorbency power is woefully unrecognized and should be at the forefront of consideration for cleaning up this disaster, Dr. Moskovitz said.

The oil sorption capacity of many natural and man made fibrous sorbents have been studied for years. Industry professionals are well aware that natural sorbents such as milkweed, kapok, cotton and wool are far superior in their sorption capacity properties when compared to man made sorbents like polyester, polypropylene, vicose rayon, nylon 6, nylon 66 and acetate.

"Natural sorbent capacities routinely exceed 30 grams of oil per gram of fiber," Dr. Moskovitz said. "Cotton is the superior choice out of all the natural sorbents due its sorption capacity exceeding 40 grams per gram of cotton fiber. Dr. Mark Moskovitz and Hobbs Bonded Fibers, Inc. in Waco, TX, have co-developed a new generation of cotton materials impregnated with patent-protected alumina adsorbents. "Cotton, impregnated with activated alumina should be used for absorbing the toxic chemicals and crude oil from the Gulf due to its ability to adsorb as much as 100 grams per gram of cotton, more than 2 ½ times more than any other cotton based products," according to Dr. Moskovitz.

Carey Hobbs, CEO of Hobbs Bonded Fibers, Inc. has spent his entire career in the textile industry and is at the forefront of its newest technologies. When Hobbs' superior cotton material is impregnated with DAI's customized activated alumina, the material will have the highest sorption capacity of any material on the market. The activated alumina in the fiber also has the capacity to remove fumes and noxious airborne particulate materials from the environment through adsorption, addressing the problem of workers inhaling dangerous materials.

"The BP disaster is an example of an environmental disaster that we are ready to address now," Hobbs said. "We at Hobbs Bonded Fibers are thrilled to be working with Dr. Moskovitz and his scientific team. Dr. Moskovitz holds over 40 national and international patents in the field of sorption science. His expertise has enhanced the already superior absorbency power of cotton, making this material the perfect tool for handling this environmental catastrophe."

Other companies have run tests on cotton-based products using store bought oil vs. the crude oil produced by the spill. The DAI product not only works much better, but has been field tested with the actual oil being released in the Gulf.

"DAI activated alumina combined with Hobbs' superior cotton will yield the best results among any other sorbent product. Additionally, this cotton-based material is 100% environmentally safe for humans, wildlife, fish and plants," Dr. Moskovitz said.

Posted on June 17, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of Dynamic Adsorbents Inc.

Advertisement