Expanding its proprietary rubber recycling technologies, Ecser Holding Corp. has applied for a patent on an engineered rubber substance that it says can absorb six times its own weight in oil.
Several oil companies have asked Ecser for samples of the new substance to test it for its utility in absorbing oil from marine oil spills, said Ecser CEO Moses Gutman.
According to Ecser, the engineered rubber-which is made from recycled tires-floats on the surface of the water, removing oil from it.
The oil can be extracted from the rubber and used as virgin oil. The rubber, meanwhile, can be used up to four times for oil removal, and after that it makes an excellent ingredient in rubber goods, in asphalt or as a binder for road gravel, the company said.
``It's our goal to recycle 100 percent of all the rubber we handle, with nothing going to landfills,'' Mr. Gutman said.
Ecser's main product is Counter-Cure, the rubber devulcanization process the company claims is inexpensive and completely non-toxic and also allows rubber manufacturers to recycle their own scrap in-house.
The basis of Counter-Cure is a gray-yellow, water-soluble powder that requires no specialized equipment for its use and can be scaled to fit any operation, according to Ecser.
Two rubber companies-a mechanical goods maker in Europe and a shoe sole manufacturer in Asia-are now using Counter-Cure with excellent results, Mr. Gutman said. He declined to name them, saying the companies didn't want the public to know.
``They want people to wonder why they can recycle so much of their scrap,'' he said.
Ecser has its headquarters in Brooklyn, which includes a production facility, pilot plant and laboratory.
The company also has a research and development lab in Israel and a sales office in Spain, according to Mr. Gutman.