“We are proud to accept this honor,” said Dan Parker, C.I.Agent Solutions founder and CEO. “Contributing to the preservation of the environment is rewarding in itself. Having our efforts and success recognized is much appreciated.”

Judging criteria included financial performance, increased market share, new products or services and major new clients. Community involvement and employee/client relationships also were considered.

Founded in 2000, C.I.Agent Solutions is a global leader in oil spill cleanup and secondary containment. A non-toxic, food-grade polymer, C.I.Agent solidifier turns fuel and other hydrocarbons into reusable and recyclable solids. The company’s custom-engineered utility systems drastically reduce the labor and expense of secondary containment to meet federal regulations.

C.I.Agent Solutions was involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup. They built a five-mile barrier containing C.I.Agent solidifier─the longest oil/water separator in the world.

With a growth of 36%-45%, C.I.Agent Solutions was awarded the #29 spot on the Fast 50 list.

C.I Agent Solutions Company Description

Develops and manufactures environmentally friendly products used to immobilize and encapsulate hydrocarbon spills on land and water.

What’s the best thing that has occured at your company recently?

We participated in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup in the Gulf of Mexico, where our products protected the shoreline of Dauphin Island, Ala., with the world’s longest oil-water separator.

We also participated in the Enbridge spill cleanup in Michigan, where our products removed sheen from the surface of the water.

What strategic steps have you taken to grow in a sluggish economy?

We have increased the visibility of our products and services by participating on the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepeneurship and by our appearance on the ‘Huckabee Show’, a Fox News political commentary program.

We’ve also expanded our presence at targeted trade shows and have entered new markets, such as wind farm protection, stormwater diversion, water monitoring and cost recovery for fire departments.

How is your company different from your competitors?

We sell solutions, not just products, and we have strong ethics and values. At the conclusion of our participation in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup, we discovered that BP had overpaid us by over half a million dollars.

It has taken nine months to convince BP of the overpayment and to get them to agree to take the money back. We know they would have never found the error, but that’s the type of business we run.

What are the biggest challenges for your company in the next 12 month?

Our challenges are keeping up with orders, the timely introduction of new products, and the hiring of employees with the same ethics and values as our present team.

Describe your company’s corporate culture in five words

Environmentally focused. Entrepeneurial. Ethical. Fun-Loving.

The spill was caused by a tractor not having its air brake engaged after positioning a trailer up to a loading dock. The unmanned tractor rolled into a Ford F-150 truck parked on the premises. The Ford truck subsequently flipped over and fell 6 feet into a creek.

The impact between the tractor and the truck caused the tractor’s saddle tank to rupture. Approximately 125 gallons of diesel fuel started leaking from the tank into the creek.

When the C.I.Agent Solutions response team arrived on scene, they deployed C.I.Agent Sheen Boom to stop the diesel fuel from spreading on the water. C.I.Agent Pillows and Loose Granules were used to solidify and remove the fuel from the water.

It took C.I.Agent Solutions 7.5 man-hours to completely contain and clean up the spill.

Photos

Overturned Truck in Creek

C.I.Agent Sheen Boom deployed to contain diesel fuel. Loose Granules applied on diesel fuel.

Solidified diesel fuel floats on water and is easily recovered.

The solidified diesel fuel is non-toxic and can be recycled or simply displosed of.

The creek is clean after 7.5 hours

After the day-long meeting, the representatives joined C.I.Agent Solutions’ management aboard the CQ Princess for an elegant dinner cruise to enjoy the scenery of Louisville, KY from the Ohio River while experiencing the local cuisine.

Many representatives continued their stay in Louisville to attend the ICUEE tradeshow held at the Kentucky International Convention Center.

Swedish authorities first learned of the large oil spill on Thursday. It is not entirely clear what caused the spill, but Swedish news agency The Local said that the oil slick was traced back to a September 10 ship collision off the Danish west coast.

“Clean up efforts have been going on around the clock since Friday,” according to Jonas berg of the Swedish Coast Guard.

This oil spill is the largest to affect Sweden in years. The Local reported that over 110,000 gallons of oil have been recovered so far. Although the majority of the spill is expected to be cleaned up in the next few days, the full recovery is expected to take weeks.

According to Jonas Akerlund from the Swedish Coast Guard: “The oil has not spread, it remains inside the booms at Haron. It appears we will have good weather today so we hope to remove a lot of the oil during the day.”

Nine vessels, one airplane and over fifty coast guard personnel are involved in the cleanup operation.

Gothenburg’s Bird Centre (Göteborgs Fågelcentral) had received 15 oiled birds by Saturday afternoon. The extent of the damage to birds and other wildlife still remains uncertain.

According to Tommy Järås from the Bird Centre, “It is difficult to assess how many birds are affected. But presumably it can involve hundreds, perhaps up to a thousand. There may be injured birds on the islands and reefs that can only be reached by boat”.

For photos of the spill, please check out the Swedish Coast Guard website.

Facilities subject to the regulations can include electrical substations, power cooperatives, wind farms, factories, municipalities and marinas. C.I.Agent Solutions’ products are favored by professional engineers, with more than 8,000 Barrier Booms installed in the electrical utility industry alone.

The Barrier Boom is filled with the C.I.Agent^® solidifier. This unique blend of non-toxic, USDA food-grade polymers turns oil, gas and other hydrocarbons into a rubber-like solid.

While the Barrier Boom allows unimpeded water flow during rain storms or snowmelt, it becomes an impervious barrier in the event of an oil spill. Offering 100+% containment, its hydrocarbon flow rate is 0 GPM. It solidifies approximately 1/2 gallon of oil per sq. ft., depending on viscosity.

The Polyvinyl Blanket System is ideal for locations with sandy or other porous soils. Storm water flows through the C.I.Agent Barrier Boom side walls while removing hydrocarbons. In the event of a large spill, the side walls completely solidify, preventing the emulsified hydrocarbons from leaching.

A low maintenance application, the blanket’s water flow rate is at least 3 GPM per sq. ft. of material with 1-ft. head pressure. It also has a 0 GPM hydrocarbon flow rate for 100% containment. The Polyvinyl Blanket System’s standard base is 22 oz. polyvinyl with 40 oz. and XR5 also available, with pre-formed corners.

C.I.Agent systems save money and time. With no need for concrete walls, sump pumps or oil/water separators, they can cost up to 80% less than traditional containment systems. They last the lifetime of the equipment they protect. Recyclable C.I.Agent can be disposed of in most landfills, eliminating the expense of hazardous waste removal. Barrier Boom and Polyvinyl Blanket System installations are backed by a $4 million liability insurance policy.

Easily installed in a day or two, Barrier Boom and Polyvinyl Blanket Systems from C.I.Agent Solutions are custom-made to a customer’s specifications; never off the shelf. They are pre-fabricated at the factory and assembled onsite.

It is environmentally friendly, meets EPA SPCC requirements and is listed on EPA’s National Contingency Plan Product Schedule.

C.I.Agent technology is ideal for new or retrofitted substations and other facilities. The C.I.Agent Barrier Boom for secondary containment allows water to pass, but prevents oil from migrating off the property in the event of a leak or spill.

C.I.Agent Barrier Boom for Secondary Containment (click to zoom in)

The Barrier Boom is ideal for containing large electrical equipment. Barrier Boom is placed in a trench and held up by rebar or stakes. Clean rock is then positioned over and around the Barrier Boom to protect it. When the Barrier Boom comes in contact with oil (or other hydrocarbons), the polymers inside of the boom instantly solidify the oil and become a perfect seal.

If the subsurface of a containment site is not impervious, a liner must be used. In these cases, a C.I.Agent Polyvinyl Blanket system is used in conjunction with the Barrier Boom technology. The polyvinyl liner is sealed to the concrete slab using metal strips to ensure that oil will not slip through and reach the soil. Bentonite® is then used to seal edges where needed.

Installation of the Barrier Boom (click to zoom in)

The C.I.Agent Barrier Boom and Polyvinyl Blanket system do not require any special tools or equipment to install. A typical installation has minimal impact on substation operations, and transformers do not have to be shut off during installation. It is a bury-and-forget application, only minimal maintenance is required. The Barrier Boom will last longer than the lifetime of the contained equipment. A typical Barrier Boom installation can be completed in one day, with an average of 9 man hours.

In a nutshell, here are the benefits of the C.I.Agent Barrier Boom secondary containment system compared to outdated methods such as concrete pits, oil/water separators and sumps:

• It effectively solidifies and contains hydrocarbon leaks, while water is allowed to flow through in case of rain or snowfall.
• It has minimal impact on substation operations/layout.
• It’s a cost effective EPA SPCC compliance solution.
• It’s a bury-and-forget application – minimal maintenance required.
• No special equipment is required for installation.
• It meets EPA regulations at a fraction of the cost of alternative methods. The average savings range from 50-80%.

For additional information about the Barrier Boom and Polyvinyl Blanket secondary containment systems:

• C.I.Agent Barrier Boom Information Sheet (.pdf)
• C.I.Agent Polyvinyl Blanket Information Sheet (.pdf)

Please feel free to contact us for a custom quote for you project. We look forward to working with you!

APUG’s Supplier Management System is the on-line Supplier Management System used by buyers from the Asia Pacific Utilities Group to source suppliers, contractors and service providers for upcoming tenders and projects.

On October 7, 2010, EPA maintained the November 10, 2010, compliance date for drilling, production or workover facilities that are offshore or that have an offshore component, and for onshore facilities required to have and submit Facility Response Plans (FRPs). However, EPA extended the compliance date an additional year for all other facilities to amend or develop a SPCC plan until November 10, 2011.

Are you in compliance with SPCC requirements?

You need an SPCC plan if you:

• Have an above ground oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 gallons using storage media such as tanks, containers, drums, portable totes, transformers and other oil filled electrical equipment
• Have an underground tank storage capacity greater than 42,000 gallons
• Drill, produce, store, process, refine, transfer, distribute, use, or consume oil or oil products
• Could reasonably be expected to discharge oil to navigable waters of the United States, or adjoining shorelines

C.I.Agent^® Barrier Boom guarantees SPCC compliance

C.I.Agent Barrier Boom has become the accepted cost-effective solution for Secondary Containment by professional engineers across the United States & Canada.

C.I.Agent Barrier Boom is a revolutionary oil spill containment system that will allow unimpeded flow of water during normal rainfall events or snowmelt, but will become an impervious barrier in the event of an oil release.

The Barrier Boom is constructed from non-woven geo-textile material filled with C.I.Agent Granules, a proprietary blend of USDA food-grade polymers, and backed with Agent-X, a non-woven geo-textile material with C.I.Agent embedded within the fabric.

Over the last decade, over 8000 C.I.Agent Barrier Boom Secondary Containment systems have been installed in the electrical utility industry. Barrier Boom installations are backed by a four million dollar liability insurance policy.

Read more about the C.I.Agent Barrier Boom.

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