I came across an interesting material...

[M.D. Holloway]

I came across an interesting material called a chemical - used to clean up well sites, supposed to have activation sites for attaching on to organic contaminants, breaks the bonds (bond specific at C4 and C5) and the chain fragments are converted into fatty acids. The molecule then disassembles and goes about it all over again. The chemical is used to clean up oil spills.

Ever hear of such a thing?

[slimlynn1]

Sounds interesting, do you have any information on this?

[Jferr006]

I'll have to ask my ChemE friend.

[M.D. Holloway]

I'm not convinced with this stuff yet...the reference to bonds breaking and forming fatty acids refers sounds like the process where animal and vegetable oils break down into fatty acids.

That occurs when bacteria attack the a triglyceride bond in an animal fat or vegetable oil. To my knowledge, petroleum oil has few or no triglyceride groups. I know of no chemical reaction that would occur in the open air at atmospheric temperature and pressure that would cause petroleum oil to spontaneously break apart and reassemble itself as a fatty acid. The only types of chemical reactions I know of that can do that occur in refineries at very high temperatures and pressures.

Lots of fly by night firms have made irresponsible claims about how their cleaners mitigate oil spills, perhaps this is another such band of scalawags, ner-do-wells and rapscallions.

[rusnak]

my dad is a Periodontist, and he has been using organic solvents for years and years. I don't know what they are called, or the chemical process that is used.

[vash]

this isnt the stuff they spray on oil spill beaches?