Progress 06/01/07 to 02/01/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The proposed project had a single technical goal as follows: to develop cost-effective pads and sheets that include manure as an absorbent for absorption of liquid oil and aqueous wastes and spills. Bark is an alternative material. This project has been very successful. Prototype pads were produced and a pad that contains 70% manure and 30% of a synthetic binder was identified that is highly effective in oil uptake. This pad can be made in different thicknesses and thereby its oil holding capacity can be increased or decreased. It can also be made water repellent. Sorbent materials used for removal of oil on water must be water repellent, so that they (a) do not take up water in preference to oil, or (b) sink and thereby become unrecoverable. Thus, multiple pads with the different properties needed to penetrate the marketplace were developed. In addition to the oil absorption market, potentially very large uses for the exact same manure-based pads are in horticultural
markets. Instant turf, living walls and similar applications can be readily developed by growing seedlings on our pads and then transporting them to the site where they will be used. A company with a large and growing market in this area likes our pads very much. They have previously used another material, but our manure pads have advantages over these. At this time, the pads have been used to grow turf and have been successfully applied to a highly visible public project (please note: the project needs to remain confidential until there is a press release) as living roof materials. In addition, we have produced pre-seeded pads that have attracted interest from two other companies, including a national lawn and landscape company. The results have been disseminated in several ways: first, some of the data has been presented in the form of a patent, and, second, the pads are being promoted and are being test marketed. The test marketing is expected to provide a large and profitable
market for Terrenew.
PARTICIPANTS: Individuals Tom Bourne, CEO, Terrenew and PI Gary Harman, Chief Scientific Officer and Cornell Professor Terry Spittler, Analytic Affairs and Retired Cornell faculty member Bob Patrick, Cornell Research Technican II Organizations Southeast Nonwovens, eqipment rental for pad production Cornell University SBIR subcontract
TARGET AUDIENCES: The principal target for the efforts are customers and organizations that would use our products for environmental cleanup. These include garages, auto parts suppliers, environmental consultants and others. In addition, farmers are a primary target audience since they will provide the raw materials that we use for pad production and since we can increase their economic well-being.
PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: The only major change was the discovery that, in addition to oil spill cleanup, the same pads have large potential horticultural uses in plant propagation, instant lawns, erosion control and other applications. Thus, we have two major uses for the pads when we expected only to use them for oil cleanup.
Impacts
The development of pads in this phase I project has provided a number of highly advantageous outcomes. The pads as initially produced were provided to potential customers for their evaluation. The oil absorbent pads were as, or more, oil absorbent than conventional pads. These are being sold now in small quantities for garages and similar operations, but there were disadvantages to them. The primary disadvantage was that the pads flaked the larger manure particles and this was undesirable for clean garage applications. We have arrived at several possible solutions to this problem and it is well on the way to solution. Another necessary development was production of pads that do not absorb water. If the pads are used for oil spill cleanup on water, water absorption must be avoided. We have arrived at inexpensive waterproofing systems for the pads. The pads have a major advantage over those in use now. Most of the pads are produced from petroleum-based polypropylene, and
our pads are primarily (70%) composed of manure, which is an agricultural waste product. Thus, our pads are much more environmentally friendly. Moreover, the developments of the pads have the potential to provide additional revenue to dairy farms, which is an advantage. Finally, the full development of the pads is expected to provide a large market; the total market for such pads is more than 1 billion dollars, and so there is a large economic benefit, including job creation, from these technologies. Finally, the energy and financial costs of transportation of pads and almost any other product is large. Since manure is produced everywhere, we expect to be able to minimize shipping costs by regional manufacturing operations.
Publications
- Harman, G. E., T. D. Spittler, S. F. Neilsen, and B. P. Thomas. 2007. Removal of oils from solid surfaces and water with a substance having a high humate level, PCT WO2007035672.
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