Eliot Cooper, ecooper951 at aol.com (ECooper951) writes:
<snip>
> Date: 28 Feb 1995 19:21:29 -0500
>> Yes, I am aware of a US product that uses a treated bentonite clay
> substrate to selectively adsorb hydrocarbons.
>> Basically, the ballast water would be run through a filter containing this
> material and it would act somewhat like carbon. The adsorbed material is
> highly stable and pilot tests have shown it not to leach any organics. The
> final material could then be landfilled with minimal impact on the
> environment. Another option would be to use it as a fuel, since the final
> material will have a high BTU value.
>If this stuff is regular petroleum most of it should be subject
to bacterial degradation if the conditions are right. So let's
not just landfill it, but stack it in such a way that it gets
enough water, nitrate etc. for the bacteria to do their thing.
Maybe there is a use here for high-nitrate treated sewage
effluent? Let's integrate this thing. You folks who know the
practical engineering aspects, what do you think? Will the
bacteria be able to get at the petroleum if it is stuck to
bentonite?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Walter Ogston ogston at hobbes.kzoo.edu
Department of Biology Phone: (616)337-7010
Kalamazoo College Fax: (616)337-7251
Kalamazoo, MI 49006-3295
