Sea Sweep, Inc.
2305 S. Syracuse Way #5, Denver, CO 80231
(303) 337-9890 http^/www.seasweep.com
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DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY
With support from the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Pro-
gram, Sea Sweep, Inc., developed and commercialized
an innovative absorbent called Sea Sweep® that func-
tions both on land and water to absorb spilled oil and
chemicals. The absorbent is made using a patented pro-
cess that involves heating sawdust to a temperature at
which the oil-like pyrolysis products render it very attrac-
tive to oil (oleophylic), but so repellent to water (hydro-
phobic) that it floats for many days. It absorbs the oil or
chemicals immediately upon contact, and will float in-
definitely in water, preventing environmental damage to
marine life and bird species.
Sea Sweep® can absorb up to four times its weight in oils
and chemicals immediately on contact, and it will not leach.
Typically, 1 Ib of Sea Sweep® absorbs 3.5 Ibs of oil (the prod-
uct absorbs oils on both fresh and salt water). Nonsaturated
Sea Sweep®is nontoxic, biodegradable, and harmless to mi-
croorganisms and wildlife (the product does not adhere to
the feathers of birds or to any type of marine life). Sea
Sweep® can be applied by using a variety of methods to
drop it onto a spill (e.g., using a blower or auger system
from a barge or tugboat, or releasing drop bags from a heli-
copter, crane, or boat boom). It can be recovered in place
with a screen scoop or boom system, or it can be pushed
to a designated area for retrieval by mechanical or suc-
tion methods.
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TECHNOLOGY
There are many absorbents on the market that attract oil
and chemicals to their surface, but these products re-
lease them easily (leach), like a mop. Sea Sweep's absor-
bent is unique in that oils or chemicals are taken into
the interior of the particles (an absorbent), similar to a
sponge, where the oil and chemicals are held and do not
leach. Sea Sweep® absorbs spilled oils and chemicals,
and it is easily retrieved from spill sites, which helps pre-
vent damage to shorelines and beaches. In addition, Sea
Sweep® helps bacteria attack the spilled oil or chemical.
SBIR funding enabled Sea Sweep to evaluate the perfor-
mance of this absorbent using various types of sawdust to
determine which is most effective for absorbing oils and
chemicals. Sea Sweep found that softwood sawdust is
optimal in performance, availability, and cost. The tests
also demonstrated that Sea Sweep® absorbs almost all
chemicals, including antifreeze and some strong acids.
Saturated Sea Sweep® can be burned as fuel for power
plants or industrial furnaces.
Oil spills from vessels and facilities (both onshore and off-
shore) are regulated by the Clean Water Act. Sea Sweep®
has been recognized by EPA in the National Contingency
4- Sea Sweep, Inc., has developed an innovative absorbent that functions both on land and water to
absorb spilled oils and chemicals.
4- Nonsaturated Sea Sweep® is nontoxic, biodegradable, and harmless to microorganisms and wildlife. It
is capable of absorbing up to four times its weight of oils and chemicals immediately on contact and it
will not leach. Sea Sweep® also floats indefinitely making it easy to collect with screens or skimmers.
4- In 1993, Sea Sweep® was selected by R&D Magazine as one of the 100 most technologically significant
new products of the year.
4- Sea Sweep® is licensed by the State of California and has been recognized by EPA as an oil spill
cleanup agent. It also is a listed product on the U.S. Coast Guard National Strike Force Response Re-
sources Inventory.
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Sea Sweep® is used around the world to clean up oil spills of all
sizes and can be recycled as a petroleum product. Here, Sea Sweep's
President, William Mobek, prepares a demonstration in Indonesia.
Plan for use in recovering oil spills in U.S. navigable wa-
ters. Sea Sweep® also is a listed product on the U.S. Coast
Guard National Strike Force Response Resources Inven-
tory. In addition, Sea Sweep's absorbent is licensed by the
California State Water Control Board as an oil spill cleanup
agent for use in California marine waters.
Immediately on contact, Sea Sweep® absorbs crude oils,
refined hydrocarbons, and many chemicals on land or
sea, even after extensive loss due to volatilization. Crude
oils, 17° API and 37° API are absorbed at ratios of 1,000
and 1,500 gallons per ton of Sea Sweep®, respectively.
Refined hydrocarbon absorption capacity varies from 720
to 1,960 gallons per ton of Sea Sweep®.
COMMERCIALIZATION SUCCESS
Sea Sweep® is marketed in the United States, Europe,
South America, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Indone-
sia, and the Persian Gulf. Internationally, Sea Sweep's
absorbent has received approval for use by the United
Kingdom River Authority, Thames Region; the Greek
Ministry of Merchant Navy, Directorate of Marine Envi-
ronment Protection and Ministry of Industry, Energy, and
Technology; the Chilean Oceanographic Institute and the
Chilean Navy; the Ministry of the Environment in Malta;
and the Argentinian Coast Guard. Sea Sweep® also has
received an LR-type approval from Lloyds Register of Ship-
ping in London; it is the only spill absorbent to hold this
distinction. The company's customer list includes oil com-
panies, fire departments, and shipping companies across
the United States and internationally.
AWARDS AND COMPANY HISTORY
In 1993, the Sea Sweep product was selected
If/ by R&-D Magazine as one of the 100 most tech-
^ / nologically significant new products of the year.
t At the Clean Seas '93 International Confer-
•• ence, Sea Sweep was the only commercial com-
^^B. pany to be awarded a gold medal "for its praise-
worthy efforts in conjunction with the preservation of a
Clean Marine Environment." In 1997, Sea Sweep, Inc.,
received a Gold Medal from the United States Defense
Supply Center, identifying Sea Sweep® as one of the
Center's "Best Value" products. Sea Sweep was founded
in 1990, in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill on the
Alaskan coast in March 1989.
EPA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program was created to assist small businesses in
transforming innovative ideas into commercial products. The SBIR Program has two phases—Phase I is
the feasibility study to determine the validity of the proposed concept and Phase II is the development of
the technology or product proven feasible in Phase I. EPA also offers Phase II Options to accelerate the
commercialization of SBIR technologies and to complete EPA's Environmental Technology Verification
(ETV) Program. For more information about EPA's SBIR Program and the National Center for Environmental
Research, visit http://www.epa.gov/ncer/sbir.
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