Innovative Oil Cleanup Technology Wins X Prize

Elastec/American Marine, an Illinois-based company managed to take home a $1 million prize coming from X Prize Foundation. They worked hard to improve an innovative oil skimmer which manages to cleanup water pollution much faster than its previous competitors.

The machine demonstrated its ability to remove 2,500 gallons of oil per minute, while other devices only succeeded in removing just 1,100 gallons of oil per minute from the water.

The gadget is so efficient due to its system of components. It uses its 64 grooved plastic discs, displayed in rows and a scraper along the top to separate the oil from the water. The procedure is based on the fact that oil is attracted to objects made out of plastic, while water isn't.

It seems that the manufacturers deserve the $1 million prize since, after several tests, experts reached the conclusion that the machine has a 90% efficiency rate.

"That's the elegance of this machine. It sounds like it's just so basic, but it picks the oil off, puts it in a trough and we pump it away, and that's all there is to it," declared Don Johnson, the project manager from Elastec.

Even though the company's officials say that their device couldn't deal with a major oil spill, like the one that took place last year in the Gulf of Mexico, its presence is required when authorities need to handle the effects of a less damaging incident, such as a tanker spill.

Even in this case, the gadget would demonstrate its utility by preserving the fragile balance of ecosystems in the affected areas.

The X Prize Foundation announced that it is going to award the most efficient device that will prove it can cleanup polluted water faster than any other gadget.

The organization tries to encourage private companies to develop and improve technologies which will minimize the impact of polluters upon the environment.

The foundation was introduced on the market by Wendy Schmidt, who gave away a $10 million prize in 2004 to support the construction of a private-funded spacecraft.