Press Release from Milliken & Company:
Spartanburg-based Milliken & Company is using nanofiber technology, developed by Milliken Research, to assist with clean-up of the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Milliken hopes to fill a void in the high demand for oil absorbing materials created by the BP oil spill. The effort will assist in protecting the environment, capitalizing on one of Milliken’s core values.
Milliken Research has developed a very high throughput process to produce nanofibers that are roughly 100 times smaller than the human hair. The nanofibers have a very high surface area making them effective absorbers of oil, capable of absorbing 2-3 times the current market standard. The small pore size in the material helps to effectively retain the oil inside the sorbent after absorption. The nanofibers have low density, allowing them to float on water and preferentially absorb oil and other hydrocarbons while rejecting water.
“The team developing the technology used in this market has been working long days and weekends in order to get this technology to a level we feel will have a significant impact in the Gulf clean-up,” said David Wenstrup, director of development. “I am proud to work for a company dedicated to the environment and I am proud to work with the team that has been moving this technology forward at an extremely rapid pace,” continued Wenstrup.
Milliken hopes the patented process will be useful in protecting the environment in similar spills and applications for the oil industry. The company has accumulated over 2,200 patents and holds more patents than any privately-held company in the United States.
“Milliken has always placed an emphasis operating with respect for our earth,” said Richard Dillard, director of public affairs. “Our voluntary recycling and environmental stewardship efforts have enabled us to send less than 1% of our solid waste to landfills each year.” Dillard said every new product development begins with the question, ‘What is the potential environmental impact of manufacturing this product?’
Click on the video link to watch how this nanofiber works in the lab. Video provided to WSPA by Milliken.
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