--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozg...@...> wrote: > > authfriend wrote: <snip> > >>> It doesn't make the oil "clump together," it *disperses* it > >>> so the oil-eating microbes in the ocean can get at it more > >>> easily. That process is what depletes the oxygen. > >>> > >> I've heard the contrary > > > > You heard wrong. Why do you think it's called "dispersant" > > instead of "clumpant"? Jeez. > > No, I didn't hear wrong.
*What* you heard was wrong. It's an idiom. > It's mentioned in the G4 report you obviously > didn't watch. G4 is a gamers cable network I believe owned > by Comcast. Gamers are a cynical bunch so they had to be > more careful in their reporting. BWAHAHAHA!! You're getting your information about dispersants from *gamers*?? No wonder you've got everything bassackwards. If that's an example, they need to be WAY WAY WAY more careful in their reporting. > Yes it is also called a dispersant Dispersants are called dispersants because they *disperse* the oil. That's the whole point. > >> and I've also heard that the BP doesn't want microbes > >> to eat the oil because they want to salvage it. > > > > That's so absurd I don't know where to start. If BP > > doesn't want microbes to eat the oil, it shouldn't let > > oil get in the water where they can eat it to start > > with. Once the oil's in the water, microbes will eat > > it whether or not dispersant has been applied. They'll > > just be able to eat it *faster* with the dispersant. > > > > Were you thinking that BP can "salvage" the oil if it > > gets clumped up? Because that's wrong too. It clumps > > up because it's gotten "weathered," and then it's no > > longer usable as oil. > > > > Plus which, collecting even freshly spilled oil costs > > *way* more than they could get from selling what they > > collect. > > I think the argument (pardon the pun) holds water because > they probably some other use for the oil. Reread my last paragraph above, please. *Whatever* you're imagining they might use it for, it would *still* cost way more to collect than it would be worth. And that's in addition to the other two points. > Some of the commentators have mentioned > this. And they have also mentioned that the dispersant > interferes with the microbes. You need to find some different commentators who know what they're talking about. These guys haven't a clue, if you're reporting what they said accurately. What *does* happen when there's a lot of dispersed oil is that the microbes gorge on it, and in the gorging process they use up the oxygen in the water, and then they starve because they can't continue to eat the oil, or anything else, without oxygen. But before that happens, they've gotten rid of huge quantities of the oil, much more than would have been possible without the dispersant breaking it down into molecules for them. I dare you to go register at TheOilDrum.com and post some of what you've heard. But you don't have the cojones to put your "information" to the test. And lest you think the folks there are pro-BP shills, here's what the most highly respected commenter on the site, who has his own oil drilling company and 30 years of experience in the oil patch, has to say: "With few exceptions everyone I know wants to see BP crucified. And then have its tongue cut out while hanging there. And then set on fire. And then have the fire put out before it kills them. And then throw salt on them."
