US firm displays oil absorbents at ADIPEC

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

A US-based sustainable technology firm, Green Boom, has brought its revolutionary line of biodegradable oil absorbents to the Middle East, in a bid to transform spill prevention and response into an eco-friendly, low-cost process.

The patented biomass products were showcased at the flagship energy sector event, ADIPEC, hosted recently in Abu Dhabi.

During the 4-day event, the firm exhibited its range of sustainable absorption solutions staged under the theme, ‘Decarbonising. Faster. Together.’

Dr Sudhir Sharma Co-Founder and CEO, also presented to industry peers on the findings from a recent successful field trial conducted alongside The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC.

With a product range that includes booms, socks, pillows, mats, and loose sorbents, Green Boom is the culmination of years of research and development by Sharma and his team.

Discussing the motivation behind the innovation, Sharma explained, “Around 8-10 thousand tonnes of oil absorbent waste is created each year, and most existing solutions involve single-use plastics that go into landfill, producing multiple other environmental impacts," Sharma said.

Sudhir Sharma speaks during the event.

"After witnessing the devastating effect that oil spills have on the environment, we wanted to transform the entire approach, to completely remove any plastic from the process and deliver a zero-waste solution that is safe, efficient, and cost-effective,”he said.

Building on his PhD in chemical engineering, Sharma and his team explored a number of different lab-based experiments before arriving at a product that could be replicated at scale, while delivering value for money to the end-users.

Made from 100 per cent sustainably sourced, renewable raw materials, the innovative absorbents have proved more durable and efficient than the traditional polypropylene-based solutions.

Speaking about the application of the products, Dan J Asher, CEO of IRE Oil & Gas FZE said, “Green Boom is a transformational innovation that optimises efficiency while delivering a cost-efficient solution that also contributes to the decarbonisation agenda.

The products can be customized to address the different pain points of industry operators across the spill prevention and response tiers, while acting as a catalyst to grow sustainable practices across the sector.”

Launched in Atlanta in 2019, Green Boom has since earned the USDA Certified Biobased Product Certification for its hydrophobic, rapid, completely biodegradable, oil-only absorbents.

Its products have also undergone testing and validation with industry and safety organizations around the world. Moving into the Middle East market, Sharma hopes that the technology can now also make a meaningful contribution to this region’s strategic environmental agenda. Sharma concluded,

“It’s a natural step for us to build a presence in the Middle East, with an innovation-driven energy sector and a progressive approach to sustainable development. We are inspired by the ambitious agenda this region has set towards net zero and we look forward to contributing to the advancement of eco-friendly technology, which can ultimately help to build a greener and more sustainable future.”