With BP's environmental disaster now in the past, GM has reportedly devised a way to turn oil-soaked plastic boom used by the oil giant to soak up the spilled oil into plastic resin that that will be used for under-the-hood parts in the recently released extended range electric Volt.In a collaborative effort with various companies, Heritage Environmental, who are collecting the used boom, as well as Mobile Fluid Recovery, tasked with eliminating absorbed oil and water with a high-speed drum that spins the booms until they are dry, and Lucent Polymers making the material appropriate for plastic die-mold production, and finally GDC Inc. combining the plastic resin with other plastic compounds to make the car components. The end product is a set of parts (25 percent boom material, 25 percent recycled tires) used to deflect air around the Volt's radiator.
GM will continue to use booms until the recovery process is completed, in approximately two months. Ultimately, the company estimates that its work will result in the upcycling of 100 miles of boom from the Alabama and Louisiana coasts--and produce over 100,000 pounds of plastic resin for Volt components.
Via - Fastcompany
