As long as we're stuck in this fossil-fueled economy, there will be a need for tools that can clean up oil spills. And while there are a lot of high-tech solutions out there, the citizens of San Francisco have been using, of all things, mats made of human hair.
Lisa Gautier gathered the hair from local salons and had them fashioned into mats for use for the San Francisco Department of the Environment. The hair naturally separates the oil from the water, leaving behind big tar-filled glob of hairy toxicity and happy, fresh ocean water. Mushrooms are then seeded on the tar globs, they grow, digesting the oil into non-toxic organics, which can then be composted into soil...y'know...to grow your veggies.
All I can say...I wouldn't believe it if it weren't San Francisco...
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written by Ruby, November 28, 2007
They also used hair clippings to clean up a major oil spill in Guimaras Strait, Philippines last year; inmates of a city jail even pledged to go bald to donate hair.
Local environmentalists, though, cautioned against using hair clippings since hair takes a long time to decompose, advising instead to use natural absorbents like coconut husks and rice straw.
Local environmentalists, though, cautioned against using hair clippings since hair takes a long time to decompose, advising instead to use natural absorbents like coconut husks and rice straw.
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written by Eze, November 28, 2007
Oil doesn't fly well in that bay! Not on SF's watch!
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written by Herder, November 29, 2007
Not a very handy solution... lots of governments have designed laws that prohibit the use of human material as a source for products. If I'm not mistaken, this has it's roots in the blankets and the sorts that were produced in Germany, say some 60 years ago :o
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written by Reality Check, November 29, 2007
I hope Lisa has a different idea on how to build a better mousetrap. Her idea has already been patented by Brett and Phillip McCrory back in 1995. And if I remember this story correctly, pantyhose were the first "porous casings" used to test the idea.
A brilliant way to recycle millions of pounds of hair clippings. Better than sending them a landfill.
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5453191-description.html
Patent No. Patent Title: Issue Date:
5453191 Device for containing and absorbing oil spills on water
Human hair is present within a porous casing. Oil floating on water enters the porous casing whereupon the oil is absorbed by the human hair. Flotational material is mixed with the human hair or attached to the casing to cause the device to float. 1995-09-2
A brilliant way to recycle millions of pounds of hair clippings. Better than sending them a landfill.
http://www.patentstorm.us/patents/5453191-description.html
Patent No. Patent Title: Issue Date:
5453191 Device for containing and absorbing oil spills on water
Human hair is present within a porous casing. Oil floating on water enters the porous casing whereupon the oil is absorbed by the human hair. Flotational material is mixed with the human hair or attached to the casing to cause the device to float. 1995-09-2
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written by Jeannine, January 11, 2008
I currently work for my boyfriends mother, who owns a salon, and truly is an eco-geek as you would call them... She recycles everything and she recently heard about using human hair with oil spills, and is willing to donate all the hair she can cut. She wants to know where she can send it.
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written by tyler, April 04, 2008
let me know where i can send some of my own hair to help our waters
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As long as we're stuck in this fossil-fueled economy, there will be a need for tools that can clean up oil spills.
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