Janesville Company Tests Oil-Absorbing Material In Gulf

A Rock County company that said it has developed a material for soaking up oil has sent company leaders to the Gulf of Mexico for three days to put its material to the test.

Monterey Mills, based in Janesville, has created a biodegradable, wool-based, oil-absorbing fabric to soak up the oil spewing into the body of water because of the BP oil spill.

Monterey Mills said the fabric can lift seven times its weight in oil. The company has spent weeks testing the fabric using tap water and motor oil but knew it had to be tested in the field.

"Crude oil has a much different consistency, which everybody told us and we knew with the oil we were pouring in the swimming pool. But it still picked up and had a great outcome," said Monterey Mills CEO Brent Birkhoff.

The CEO and other company leaders spent three days at the Gulf of Mexico and did their testing near Grand Isle, which is about two hours from New Orleans.

But before they could get started they had to let Hurricane Andrew pass.

"We had a break in the weather. We went out on July 1st, in the afternoon. It took about an hour to get our boat about two miles off the coast. We saw large clumps of oil everywhere," said Birkhoff.

Those on the trip said they also saw the hundreds of shrimping boats and animals impacted by the clumps of crude oil.

Birkhoff said the fabric worked just as well in the field as it did during the company's tests.

Birkhoff said there was some interest in the fabric from BP. He said the oil giant's high-impact technology team tested the fabric and asked the company to resubmit its information.