Marine Pollution Control8631 West Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48209 USA
313.849.2333 - 24/hour
11320 E Lakewood Blvd., #11
Holland, MI 49424
800-521-8232 – 24/Hour
GSA Contract #: GS-10F-0268R
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Speculation that oil unearthed by Isaac from BP oil spill
September 5, 2012
NEW ORLEANS – Weathered oil in the form of tar has washed up on some Louisiana beaches from Gulf waters churned by Hurricane Isaac, prompting restrictions of fishing in some waters and tests to determine whether the source is submerged oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster.
"I'd say there's a smoking gun," said Garret Graves, Gov. Bobby Jindal's top adviser on coastal issues. He said tests were being done to verify the source of the oil.
Estimated 80-100 gallons of gas spilled at Buckeye Terminals facility in Detroit
September 5, 2012
An estimated 80-100 gallons of gasoline spilled at a Buckeye Terminals facility at 700 S. Deacon in Detroit today.
A Detroit Fire dispatcher said the spill, which was reported at 7:49 p.m., has been contained.
The facility is west of Zug Island and a short distance from the northwestern tip of River Rouge.
David Boone, a Buckeye spokesman, said a 2-inch plug failed on a receiving manifold, spilling less than 100 gallons of fuel.
“This was fuel coming in off a pipeline into a fuel storage area,” Boone said, noting that a vacuum truck was removing the gasoline from the area.
The cause of the plug failure is under investigation.
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Liquid Pulsing: Fracking Alternative?
Energy companies have turned to new drilling technologies in the past decade to squeeze out the last drops of oil and gas underground. Those methods include hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, that have been linked to environmental damage and the threat of causing small earthquakes.
Now a Canadian firm has developed an alternative that uses underground fluid pressure waves to scrub oil out of rock formations without breaking the rock or injecting toxic chemicals into the ground.
The process sends a pulse of energy that changes the porosity of the geological material -- the rock, sand or clay, etc. --– surrounding the oil deposits. It then uses recycled water or carbon dioxide to flush out the oil, according to Brett Davidson, CEO of Edmonton-based Wavefront Technology.
Officials concerned storm surge from Hurricane Isaac could churn up oil spill remnants
August 30, 2012
NEW ORLEANS - With Hurricane Isaac battering coastal Louisiana, state officials are concerned about the remnants of oil from the 2010 BP spill being churned up and tossed into flood waters.
The Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness is asking residents to report any oil, oily material or oiled debris immediately to the National Response Center at 1.800.424.8802 and to Louisiana’s Emergency Hazardous Materials Hotline at 1.877.925.6595.
GOHSEP specifically warned residents in coastal areas that oil material from the 2010 BP spill could wash up in the form of tar balls or tar mats and that people should not touch them.
Fuel Cells Turn Waste Into Electricity
August 24, 2012
Waste treatment plants may soon have a new way to treat wastewater that will also generate electricity. Oregon State University has developed a method using microbial fuel cells that can generate 10 to 50 times more electricity from waste treatment plants than methods that use similar cells.
Currently, waste treatment plants use a process called "activated sludge" to speed up the decomposition process of solids in waste water. This uses microbes to break down organic material. During this process, anaerobic organisms (that don't require oxygen) convert organic materials to methane.
It's effective but has environmental drawbacks because methane is a greenhouse gas.
OSU's microbial fuel cell uses microorganisms to break down the particles directly on an anode, which generates electrons and protons. These transfer from the anode to a cathode (terminals where electricity flows in and out) inside of the fuel cell which creates an electric current.