Using straw to clean up the BP oil spill has received a lot of play. It seems so institutive to use. The Utube renditions all used small containers to demonstrate the technique. The conditions around the demonstrations were tightly controlled.
The demonstrations all showed oil on water. Straw was added. The straw absorbed the oil. The straw was removed. A filtering display showing a substantially reduced quantity of oil ended the demonstration. It appeared to be a sure fire clean up method.
The obvious problem using straw is how to apply it. With a spill area expressed in square miles how do you get straw put onto the oil? The oil doesn't travel to the straw. Boats do not want to enter the spill area because of the high potential to ignite the oil which is now surrounding the vessel. Air drop of straw still as spreading issues as a plane has a narrow path.
If the application issue is solved the next problem is recovery of the straw. What is the mechanism for retrieving the straw and where do you store it until it can be delivered to shore? The reluctance to put a vessel in jeopardy would still apply.
Straw floats because there are air pockets between the cells of the plant. A large portion of the absorbed oil replaces the air. This changes the buoyancy of the straw. If the air pockets are filled with oil, the straw is now heavier than water and sinks. Straw entrained with oil would adversely impact shrimp, oyster, and other fishery beds.
If the oil doesn't fill the air space, sea water will. The straw then becomes water logged. Straw in this condition probably will not sink to the bottom. But it probably doesn't float on the surface either.
Solutions frequently only produce more problems.
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