A green clean: bio-based technology for oil spills

Eco-friendly products absorb oil spills without creating more toxic waste

Spotted: While large oil spills like the Exxon Valdez disaster make the news, smaller spills occur more frequently than the media headlines would suggest. According to the non-profit International Tanker Owners Pollution Federation Limited (ITOPF), 2023 saw one large spill (greater than 700 tonnes) and nine medium spills (7-700 tonnes). On top of this, there are thousands of much smaller spills each year that still have a big impact on marine ecosystems.

To make this clean-up greener, Green Boom has developed a line of biodegradable oil absorbents, which can rapidly soak up four times their weight in oil without producing additional waste. This is important because, according to the company, oil spill clean-up creates around 9,000 tonnes of oil-absorbent waste each year, and most solutions involve single-use plastics that end up in landfills.

Green Boom’s products, including booms and mats, feature cotton-based, tear-resistant fabrics filled with natural fibre biomass that repels water and rapidly absorbs oil from spills. All the products are made from 100 per cent sustainably sourced, renewable raw materials.

The company was launched in 2019 and has earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product Certification for its absorbents. Last year, Green Boom partnered up with Netherlands-based Greaner BV to help accelerate the adoption of its more eco-friendly clean-up solutions.

Springwise has spotted several innovations aimed at oil and pollution clean-up. These include the use of oil-eating microbes and hair from salons stuffed into recycled hosiery.

Written By: Lisa Magloff