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BP's Latest Oil Spill Cleanup Idea: Hire Kevin Costner


Jake de Grazia
Posted on Thursday 10th June 2010

Source: AP
Your rating: None Average: 5 (3 votes)

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Inspired by the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, Kevin Costner decided that the world needed a machine that would quickly and safely remove spilled oil from water. So he started building.

It took him more than a decade to perfect, cost him more than $20 million of his own money, and, until recently, had impressed none of the people to whom he had tried to sell it.

In May, however, a desperate BP asked Costner to send them some machines for testing. And yesterday, Costner testified before Congress about those tests and the technology he has demonstrated for BP.

According to the testimony, Costner's machines have worked as advertised, turning oily water into 99.9% clean water and 99.9% waterless oil. BP has been so impressed that they just placed an order for 32 more machines. And other observers have been so impressed that Edison Chouest, a major marine transportation company, wants to work with Costner on developing a boat that specializes in oil spill recovery.

It is is still unclear how fast Costner's technologies can be deployed and how much of an impact they can have on what has become an enormous oil spill. But it seems like they will probably prove more helpful than many of the ideas BP has tried thus far.

lmw264's picture
Posted on 10 June 2010 - 4:57pm by lmw264.
Enviro Voraxial (EVTN) has a faster oil/water separator.
See Article: Compares EVTN to Costner’s machine
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/...
EVTN’s mid size machine can clean 500 gallons per minute (they also have a larger model that can clean 3,500 gallons per minute) vs. Costner’s machine that can clean ONLY 200 gallons per minute.
EVTN was contacted by BP to be reviewed.
EVTN is already used by the US Navy, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation and many others.
Take a look at web site: http://www.evtn.com
Dominick Carlucci's picture
Posted on 12 June 2010 - 10:33am by Dominick Carlucci.
This sounds like such good news, but I must raise a cautionary flag here. First, just in the general sense that with all the inside information on BP that has come out now, can we really trust them? And 2. following from #1, my father - a WWII veteran - told me a story about a crewmember of a B-24 bomber that he knew who had perfected an automobile engine consisting of a 1 cylinder lawnmower engine generating power to 4 pistons driving the wheels of a car (the same kind of pistons that were used on the aircraft to open the bomb-bay doors). It would have simultaneously revolutionized and destroyed the automotive/gasoline industry virtually overnight. General Motors cheerfully bought the patent in 1946, making the man an instant millionaire (in 1946 dollars!) - and promptly shelved the idea. We can't afford to let the same thing happen here!
eamon mcconnell's picture
Posted on 14 June 2010 - 6:19am by eamon mcconnell.
USA dispose of thousands of square miles used carpet/underlay each year, all the carpet should be used to cover the beaches then disposed of after the oil is caught . Also use the carpet to drop over the main slicks this carpet can be retrieved/disposed of after the oil has been caught in the carpet fibers.
Guest's picture
Posted on 17 June 2010 - 3:47pm by Guest.
:We collect the discarded millions of sq.yd's home/ business carpet, cover all sandy beaches/wetlands with carpet. The carpet can be replaced each time it becomes oil filled, lot easer/faster to pick up oil filled carpet than little balls of oil. It will also help the factories and installers by creating jobs. people who were considering replaceing carpet would now do so to help their country. Also they could try dropping large carpets over the main oil slicks the oil will catch in the fibers and then retrieved.
Mark's picture
Posted on 24 June 2010 - 8:55pm by Mark.
Why can't we genetically engineer, let's say microbes that consume oil for energy, with the same algae that's going crazy in china? Bye bye oil right?

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