Hemp proposed as construction, oil spill material

When an oil spill occurs, one of the first reactions is to use something to mop it up.

Respondents will use clay-based absorbents on land-based spills or polymer dispersants on water to help dissipate or collect the oil so it’s easier to remove from the spill site. However, it can be expensive and may take significant volumes before the spill is under control.

David Schmitt, the COO of Spring Hope, North Carolina-based Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, thinks there’s a better way. His company produces a plant fiber-based absorbent called SpillSuck he said was used to combat the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Despite the company’s name, the farm has just started growing hemp. Most of its past products have been made of kenaf, a widely legal cousin. The kenaf plant is a member of the hibiscus family, making it more closely related to the state flower of Hawaii than the hemp plant, which is in the cannabis family.

Read more: http://peninsulaclarion.com/news/2016-08-22/hemp-proposed-as-construction-oil-spill-material