Skip to main content

University of Guyana lecturer invents cactus-based technology to disperse oil spills

 
University of Guyana lecturer, Dr. Dawn Fox.

University of Guyana lecturer, Dr. Dawn Fox.

A University of Guyana Lecturer has invented technology that could use cactus to help deal with oil spills.

Lecturer in the Department of Chemistry, University of Guyana, Dr Dawn Fox, has been listed as an inventor on US Patent 9,163,374 issued October 20, 2015, the institution announced Tuesday.

β€œThe patent was issued for an innovative technology: using cactus mucilage as a dispersant and absorbant for oil in oil-water mixtures,” said UG in a statement.

She shares the honour of co-inventor  with Drs. Norma Alcantar (lead investigator), Sylvia Thomas and Ryan Toomey, all of the University of South Florida (USF).

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 was recognised as the worst in US history.  It fuelled a surge of research into absorbant and dispersant materials to clean up affected areas.  The present invention consists of employing cactus mucilage as the active ingredient.  Cactus mucilage is an extract from the tuna cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) also known as nopal.  The mucilage is a natural hydrogel polysaccharide found in many water storing succulents including aloes and slimy vegetables.  It swells in water but remains insoluble and is able to precipitate bacteria, suspended solids and ions from water.

UG explained that conventional chemical clean-up of oil spills utilizes dispersants that reduce the surface tension of water allowing oil and water to mix; this is emulsification.  This causes the oil layers to break up into smaller droplets allowing more efficient biodegradation.  In laboratory trials, the mucilage showed ability to both disperse/break up oily layers as well as to absorb oil from oil-water mixtures.  Both methods of action are critical for targeting oil slick.  Dispersal allows gases to dissolve in the water bodies which would reduce fish kills.  The mucilage stays afloat while absorbing the oil layer which facilitates the ultimate physical removal of the oil-mucilage complex.  This material is environmentally-friendly and readily available which make it an attractive alternative for a competitive technology to clean up oil spills.

Dr  Fox worked on this research during her doctoral studies at USF.  For her dissertation, she investigated the mucilage’s ability to remove arsenic from water both directly and as part of a hybrid system with ferric salt.  She completed her PhD in Chemical Engineering in 2011 and returned to lecture in the Department of Chemistry, University of Guyana.  Her current research interests are in water remediation, materials engineering for environmental applications and developing sustainable, indigenous technologies.

The university congratulates Dr Fox on her achievement. She has made the institution proud.

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Drugb posted:

I don't believe Dawn Fox played any major part in this invention.  Norma Alcantar is given credit mostly in the articles on this particular subject. In fact this article is a day late and a dollar short. The invention was since 2012. http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?z=0&a=4387 

dude, Dr. Fox is a named INVENTOR of the patent!

do you know what that means? . . . hint: ownership [in this case the assignee is USF]

this is not like writing a scientific article

further, the patent did not issue until October 2015 . . . so much for your idiotic "a day late and a dollar short"

stick to braying about the little u know

smfh

FM
Last edited by Former Member
redux posted:
Drugb posted:

I don't believe Dawn Fox played any major part in this invention.  Norma Alcantar is given credit mostly in the articles on this particular subject. In fact this article is a day late and a dollar short. The invention was since 2012. http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?z=0&a=4387 

dude, Dr. Fox is a named INVENTOR of the patent!

do you know what that means? . . . hint: ownership [in this case the assignee is USF]

this is not like writing a scientific article

further, the patent did not issue until October 2015 . . . so much for your idiotic "a day late and a dollar short"

stick to braying about the little u know

smfh

Fox can be compared to a water boy on a sports team considering the contribution in this invention. Honorable mentioned but not a major player.  Look up the articles on this particular patent and you will note that her involvement was minimal, a mere lab assistant carrying out the instructions of Norma. 

FM
Drugb posted:
redux posted:
Drugb posted:

I don't believe Dawn Fox played any major part in this invention.  Norma Alcantar is given credit mostly in the articles on this particular subject. In fact this article is a day late and a dollar short. The invention was since 2012. http://news.usf.edu/article/templates/?z=0&a=4387 

dude, Dr. Fox is a named INVENTOR of the patent!

do you know what that means? . . . hint: ownership [in this case the assignee is USF]

this is not like writing a scientific article

further, the patent did not issue until October 2015 . . . so much for your idiotic "a day late and a dollar short"

stick to braying about the little u know

smfh

Fox can be compared to a water boy on a sports team considering the contribution in this invention. Honorable mentioned but not a major player.  Look up the articles on this particular patent and you will note that her involvement was minimal, a mere lab assistant carrying out the instructions of Norma. 

shhh . . . be quiet

u still think filing a patent application is submitting an article to a journal

but i do recognize that you've had a very poor education

perhaps that's why u were b_gurd earlier in life

shush

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Drugb posted:

I suppose you have so little to be proud of that you will hang on to the janitorial services of a lab assistant to boost your ego. 

o B_Gurd one, stripping u down to your buckta and peeling the flesh off yuh back with meh whip is so much more enjoyable, don't u think?

pardon while i scrape pieces of your pulpy hide off the soles of my steel-toed, shit kicking boots

now hop along and try find some poultice to smear pan yuh ripped up backside

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Drugb posted:

I suppose you have so little to be proud of that you will hang on to the janitorial services of a lab assistant to boost your ego. 

Who are "they" and what is this elusive and unique thing they have little of that deferentially others possess?

 The only one needing an ego boost is you because like our dear Bibi here there seems an ever present need to elevate what little you have managed to acquire to Midas status.

FM
Stormborn posted:
Drugb posted:

I suppose you have so little to be proud of that you will hang on to the janitorial services of a lab assistant to boost your ego. 

Who are "they" and what is this elusive and unique thing they have little of that deferentially others possess?

 The only one needing an ego boost is you because like our dear Bibi here there seems an ever present need to elevate what little you have managed to acquire to Midas status.

i gave this B_gurd creature a sketch tutorial on patents in defense of FACTS, and for some gawdawful reason he turn lunatic, running all over the place bawling about "pride" and "boosting ego" . . . huh?

fascinating how the achievement of one Black woman can disturb the poorly evolved, underachieving, undereducated worldview so

as with most petty bigots, much ignorance and projection involved . . . it's their go-to defense mechanism at work

that's why i [re]turn to the lash

FM
Last edited by Former Member

Add Reply

×
×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×