The INOV8 blog tracks the latest news and trends in technology and innovation throughout the world
Innovate Arkansas client BlueInGreen has been contracted by the National Science Foundation to adapt one of its technologies to salt water as part of the Gulf oil spill cleanup.
BlueInGreen, a University of Arkansas startup, has developed technologies that provide oxygenation and ozonation of fresh water. The government is counting on BlueInGreen to adapt its techniques to salt water, providing much needed oxygen to areas of the Gulf impacted most heavily by the spill.
The full story is available to Arkansas Democrat-Gazette subscribers here. The lowdown on the role of Little Rock’s CTEH in the cleanup is available here, and check out a first-person account of the impact of the spill on the beaches at Gulf Shores as well.
I keep coming across the use of oxygen in the form of ozone to clean up water and oxygenate the water for all the little fishies. There is another company that I have been following called Ecosphere technologies who is also using ozone to treat water without harsh chemicals. They are using a combination of accoustics and a process called Ozonix to clean water. Ozonix is their newest product, and it produces what is called micro-bubbles to replenish oxygen to the water. They also claim that these bubbles will help bring oil from the gulf to the surface where it can be skimmed off- opposite of what the dispersant does. They have some pretty cool videos on their website if you want to check them out. http://www.ecospheretech.com/. I think this further justifies the important niche BlueInGreen is into!