C.I.Agent Solutions of Louisville, Ky., has developed patent-pending Agent-Q, a nonwoven composite fabric structure embedded with C.I.Agent solidifier, specially developed for its high hydrocarbon binding and filtration capability. Agent-Q creates no water flow restriction and is not dependent on water pressure. Initial uses include drip pans, scuppers and spill remediation products, as well as filtration media..

The company’s product line offers businesses and industries a way to filter or clean up hydrocarbons, whether crude oil, gasoline, diesel fuel, solvents or peanut and vegetable oils. The key product, C.I.Agent, is a proprietary, environmentally friendly blend of seven polymers that encapsulates and solidifies hydrocarbons on contact without absorbing water, turning them into a non-toxic, non-leaching rubber-like mass.

One of the biggest advantages of this unprecedented agent is its very low resistance to water flow. One layer handles a high water flow through-rate, over 400 gallons per minute per square meter, at a very low 2-inch water head. Because water flows freely through the material, no water pressure is required to filter hydrocarbons.

In ASTM testing, Agent-Q has an average grab strength of a nominal 60 lbs. and a burst strength of a nominal 70 psi. It can be used in single or multiple layers to provide the desired balance between water flow rate and hydrocarbon filtration efficiency.

C.I.Agent Solutions plans to incorporate versatile Agent-Q into current products, such as stormwater drainage systems and emergency spill remediation booms or blankets, to increase their efficiency and cost savings. Barrier booms, sheen booms, secondary containment products for utility industries and water filtration products that require hydrocarbon removal will benefit as well. Agent-Q actually enhances the effectiveness of C.I.Agent, allowing the solidifier to be easily spread over a large area. It also enables users to save money, because less C.I.Agent is needed to accomplish a cleanup.

Source: C.I.Agent®