BP Oil Spill Covers Gulf / Image: NASA and the MODIS Rapid Response Team
Another Artemis Top 50 Company is deploying their technology to the Gulf to aid clean up of the still growing BP oil spill.
Ecosphere Technologies signed a letter-of-intent with Mid-Gulf Recovery Services, LLC to deploy Ecosphere’s Ozonix technology to clean up the “Gulf’s marshes and inland waterways,” according to Glen Smith, CEO of Mid-Gulf Recovery Services.
The Ozonix Deep Water Recovery Process, recently patent-pending, is “a non-chemical water treatment system specifically built for removing oil and chemicals from water.” It works by generating millions of “micro bubbles”, creating a “buoyancy blanket” that lifts oil rapidly to the surface of the gulf.
Ozonix increases the concentration of oil on the surface of the Gulf, simplifying oil recovery (Click to view larger)
By forcing oil to surface quickly, the oil has less time to spread as it rises. The increased concentration on the surface simplifies the process of extracting the oil from the water.
View a visual presentation of the process (pdf).
Ecosphere’s technology won the endorsement of Jean-Michel Cousteau, the famed ocean explorer and President of Ocean Futures Society: “Ecosphere has been providing its patented Ozonix technology to help major energy companies recycle their frac waters by eliminating chemical biocides. We must now use this same technology to help restore our seas and shores while protecting the habitats of the marine and wildlife of the Gulf Coast. Now is the time for action, action, action and this is technology that needs to be put to work immediately.”
Using air is obviously a more environmentally friendly solution than using potentially hazardous chemical dispersants. It’s refreshing to see modern technology finally deployed to the Gulf, however late it is in coming.
Galen produces the BlueTech Blog. He's worked on sustainability projects as a student at Whitworth University, as a teacher at the UN RCE USD in Tongyeong, South Korea, and writes occasionally for a leading sustainability blog. 
