EnSolve Biosystems announced that it has received U.S. Coast Guard and International Maritime Organization (IMO) certification for its maritime oily water separator. The first commercial unit will be installed on a 1,000-foot cargo vessel operating in the U.S. Great Lakes. EnSolve’s PetroLiminatorTM is the first in a new generation of separators that combine modern biotechnology with physical separation of oil from water.

Conventional oily water separators have been blamed for numerous discharges of oil into the marine environment, leading to the pollution of sensitive aquatic areas and large fines to several ship operators. EnSolve's PetroLiminator uses a newly patented biotechnology process to clean oily water and includes a fail-safe monitoring process to ensure that water discharged is cleaner than the regulatory limit of 15 parts per million.

EnSolve’s PetroLiminator combines mechanical separation of oil and water with a unique biological chamber that contains millions of naturally occurring bacteria attached to a support structure. These natural bacteria have been isolated from natural environments where the bacteria have evolved to use hydrocarbons (oil) as a food source. EnSolve’s scientists use proprietary techniques to select the best performing bacteria for use in a bilge environment. The system is safe, reliable and easy-to-use. Unlike conventional oily water separators, the PetroLiminator actually destroys oil and grease, using naturally occurring bacteria. This process has been successfully used in hundreds of land-based applications since the 1970's. Now the system has been improved and specially designed for shipboard applications.

Contact: published in MarineTalk.com">Tom Laundon