Skimmer Manufacturer Contributes to Gulf Cleanup

Abanaki Corporation (Cleveland, Ohio) says its patent-pending Fuzzy2 oil skimmer material has exceeded expectations during oil spill cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico. According to the company, the material can recover as much as 385 gallons of oil per minute from the water’s surface, more than three times the capacity of ordinary skimmer material.

The material is attached to the surfaces of 30-inch-diameter skimming disks on a floating skimmer manufactured by Crucial, Inc. of Gretna, Louisiana. A disk skimmer uses a rotating disk coated with oleophilic (oil attracting) material that collects oil as the disk passes through the water. Wiper blades scrape off the oil for collection.

Unlike other skimmer disk materials, Fuzzy2 features a hairy surface that greatly increases its surface area. This makes the material more effective at removing oil floating on the surface, the company says. Another key advantage cited by the company is that the material can be retrofitted to virtually any brand of drum or disk-type skimmer to triple pickup rates.