REVOLUTIONARY ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE CHANGES TO THE OIL INDUSTRY

We are proposing ideas that will revolutionize the oil industry, which have the potential to give this industry a more environmentally sensitive image. The first idea is to ensure oil tankers carry enough supplies on board to completely clean up any potential oil spill. A special material that is thrown away every day can be used in this process. The second idea is designed to enhance the oil refining process. The excess heat and burn off from the coking process will be used to generate electricity.

The book Natural Capitalism by Paul Hawken, Amory Lovins and L. Hunter Lovins discusses the idea that cuttings from hair can be used to clean up oil spills, especially in water (p.70-71). NASA tested this idea and it works! The implication of this knowledge is incredible. Has the connection been made in the oil industry? Do oil tankers carry sacks of hair with them on board that could be deployed in case of a spill to soak up the oil they carry? This practice needs to be implemented if it is not already in place. Human hair is swept up and thrown away every day in barber shops across the country. This resource can be used to save fish and wildlife in case of an oil spill. Today, a U.S. Nuclear Submarine collided with a Japanese Oil Tanker.Fortunately, there was no oil spill. We need to prepare for the possibility of a major oil spill far in advance of one occurring.

During oil refining, especially during the coking process, a huge amount of burn off occurs. There is so much heat generated from this process that flames can be seen shooting out the tops of large smokestacks at refineries. All of this heat is essentially wasted. This heat should be used for a productive purpose, such as generating electricity. Adding electricity generators would be a small undertaking compared to the initial construction of the massive structures already in place at these refineries. The benefits of such a project would be potentially enormous. By working with electric companies to create and install the initial generators, both industries will profit from customers in the long run. The electric company has the additional incentive of saving fuel costs when they use this waste heat from the refinery. Even more fuel is saved via transportation costs when a new power plant is built in proximity to a refinery.

When we use wasted resources for productive purposes, we are doing our part to protect the planet for the future. Using hair clippings to clean up oil spills and using waste heat to generate electricity are two ways that the oil industry can demonstrate sensitivity for the environment.