Local Company Sends Oil Soaking Material To Gulf

A Georgia distributor sent 12,000 pounds of special peat moss to the Gulf Coast to help with the oil spill.

Advanced Environmental Solutions in Villa Rica told Channel 2’s Carol Sbarge the material will absorb oil in water or on land.

Company spokesperson Julius Parrish told Sbarge he had tried for weeks to get a product called Bio Matrix used by clean up crews in the Gulf.

Regular peat moss would absorb water, but this product is heat treated and actually repels water, according to Parrish.

“It will repel water but it will absorb and hold oil in its cells and will not let it leak back out. From that point it will break the oil down into harmless components,” said Parrish.

The product isn't going to help stop the leak, said Parrish, but he was excited to finally be part of the cleanup.

“As far as we're concerned, we would have liked to have seen them start earlier using the product to keep it from doing the damage it's already done,” said Parrish.