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Oil Spill Cleanup A new way of cleaning up oil sp~llsb y "bioremedia- and water are released into the . . tion" is being marketed by Petrol Rem, Inc., environment. The process leaves a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Invented by Petrol Rem residue that is environmentally safe ch~efs cientist Joseph A. Resnick, the product 1s known as and can be consumed by fish as PRPTM, for Petroleum Remediation Product. It incorpo- food. rates technology related to fabrication of microcapsules For cleaning up an o~slp ill, I developed by Marshall Space Flight Center and Jet PRP is used in conjunction with an Propulsion Laboratory. Resnick, at left below, is pic- apparatus also developed by Petrol tured with a technician m the company's production facil- Rem. The Bio-BoomTMi s an oil spill ity. containment system available in a PRP consists of thousands of microcapsules, tiny number of slzes or tailored to a balls of beeswax with hollow centers. The hollow core user's requirements. The Bio-Boom, shown being contains live microorganisms and nutrients to sustain deployed above, has a flotation device that keeps the them. Water cannot penetrate the m~crocapsule'ss hell, boom on top of the water and prevents contaminated but oil can, by osmosis. The encapsulated microorgan- water from spreading into nonpolluted water. isms -known as lipolytica -are capable of degrading A 10-foot-long Bio-SokTMc artridge fits Into a mesn hydrocarbons by secreting enzymes that break down oil enclosure on the boom. The cartridge contalns an oil- into base elements of carbon dioxide and water. As oil absorbent material and seven pounds of PRP. The oil- flows through the microcapsule's shell, it is consumed and absorbent material "wicks" the contaminated water digested by the microorganisms. When PRP explodes - toward the PRP, the oil penetrates the shells of the micro- due to pressure buildup - the enzymes, carbon dioxide capsules and is digested by the microorganisms. Work performed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory demonstrated the feasibil- ity of encapsulating live cells and Petrol Rem chief scientist Resnick employed that technology in developing PRP. Technology developed at Marshall Space Flight Center for experiments in orbital production of microspheres provided the basic design of the delivery system that pro- tects encapsulated cells from the water but allows sule's shell. " PRP. BIO-Booma nd Bio-Sok are trademarks of Petrol Rern, Inc