Firm develops devices to fight oil spills

Sino-Gas & Oil Technology Co Ltd (SGOT) is looking for government financial support and cooperation from domestic big-name companies to expand its overseas market, said Linda Zhang, general manager of the company.

The Beijing-based company developed oil collection equipment and an oil-water separation device that was used at the pipeline explosion in a Dalian port of Liaoning province on July 16.

According to Ruan Yuxuan, deputy director of Dalian Marine and Fishing Bureau, the bureau organized more than 1,000 fishing boats and 3,000 fishermen to manually clean about 183 square kilometers of water every day.

"In the Dalian case, SGOT was able to clean up the water in two weeks with 50 sets of our device," Zhang said.

Zhang said that the company is in urgent need of financial support to popularize its products in the overseas market. "The best way to protect our technology is to apply for patents before they are used in foreign countries," Zhang said.

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There are also some reports that the leaked crude oil will affect the growth of coral reefs at the bottom of the sea.

"The dispersing agent after being poured into the polluted water will form a chemical compound and sink to the seabed, causing secondary pollution," she told China Daily during an exclusive interview.

"To solve the problem, we need to pump the polluted water on board a ship and then separate the oil from water instead of using a dispersing chemical agent," Zhang said. "The SGOT device works according to the principle of a double-cyclone centrifugal separator. It is able to form a centrifugal whirlpool field at the sea surface and pump the oil onto a ship".

Days after the oil leak at the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico, Zhang"s company got in touch with the Alternative Response Technology Team and offered its emergency oil-collection technology.

Its suggested solution has entered the fourth step of technology examination by BP among the more than 4,000 solutions, Zhang said.

Work safety authorities called for the coastal oil tankers and off-shore drilling platforms across the country to be equipped with oil spill recovery equipment, Zhang said.

"It is just like fire extinguishers must be available in each building," said Zhang.