OTTAWA COUNTY—
A Jenison-based insulation company has created a new oil absorbing sponge that it's pitching to BP as a clean up solution to the oil spill mess in the Gulf of Mexico.CMS Solutions created the C-sponge several weeks ago in response to the disaster.
"It was as much about being able to help with the oil spill and use our technology to market a product that would help with the clean up," explained CMS Solutions President Mark Henderson. "Through some trial and error and different fibers, some experimentation, we found a product that will soak up oil without soaking up the water it's floating on."
The C-sponge is made up of recyclable and renewable fibers from items like cotton and paper. The company claims the invention can absorb up to 10 times its weight in crude oil, while salvaging the oil for further use.
Henderson says the material could be a game-changer when it comes to Gulf clean-up and says it would only cost BP less than 50 cents per square foot. He pitched the product to BP via its website a few weeks ago.
"Disappointingly, we got an email back saying thank you but we're really not interested."
According to Henderson, the company will not take no for an answer. It's posted a YouTube video demonstration of the product online and the company is also launching a marketing campaign.
If the demand is there, the company says it can crank out about 100 thousand square feet of C-sponge a day, and that would mean more jobs
CMS Solutions hopes to add anywhere from 10-15 new positions if the product does get picked up by BP.
