The Evolution Of Sorbene In Spill Containment Solutions
One of the questions that typically gets asked is, what was the seed for the Genesis of Log 9 Spill Containment? Another one that we often get asked is, how and why did the team select Graphene as the choice of material for creating “Sorbene”?
It all started in 2015 at one of India’s most premier engineering institute known as Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee (IIT R) where two young IIT — R alumni founded Log 9 Materials Scientific Pvt Ltd. With a focus on developing scalable processes for manufacturing Graphene at scale and in a cost-efficient manner.
Why is Graphene at the heart of Log 9 Spill products?
Image credit © Graphene Flagship
Graphene is made up of carbon atoms arranged in a single layer two-dimensional hexagonal lattice in which one atom forms each vertex. it is about 100 times stronger than the strongest steel. Yet its density is dramatically lower than any steel, with a surface mass of 0.763 mg per square meter. It conducts heat and electricity very efficiently and is nearly transparent. Graphene also shows a large and nonlinear diamagnetism, even greater than graphite.
Although sporadic attempts to study graphene can be traced back to 1859, there has been an explosion in research around the material since 2004, when Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Sir Kostya Novoselov of the University of Manchester discovered and isolated a single atomic layer of carbon for the first time. The pair received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010 in recognition of their breakthrough.
Making Graphene in a lab is one thing, scaling it up in a cost-effective manner is a different ball game.
Currently, there are two different methods of producing graphene. Bottom-up and top-down. Bottom-up uses chemistry to assemble carbon atoms to create the monolayer structure. Alternative methods have been developed to produce graphene via top-down. Most notably the liquid phase exfoliation method.
Log 9 Materials unique patent-protected Graphene scale-up process is key to Log 9 Spill sorbent products.
Log 9 Materials team successfully innovated and created four unique and cost-effective high throughput methods for Graphene production. The company subsequently focused on the energy and filtration domain which resulted in the creation of the unique Graphene material which could absorb large quantities of oil at the same time maintain water repellent properties.
This uniquely designed Graphene material bridged the gap of high absorption due to large surface area and reusability while maintaining hydrophobicity and was christened Graphene_SorbTM. This was the genesis of Log 9 Spill containment Pvt. Ltd. Which was set up as an SPV of the parent company called Log 9 Materials Pvt. Ltd. with a focus on commercializing products made from Graphene_SorbTM for the oil and chemical industry.
Sorbene is the key differentiator in the oil absorption industry.
Sorbene is the brand name for all the products made by Log 9 Spill which uses Graphene_SorbTM Sorbene products to have unique characteristics as compared to conventional absorption products made purely from polypropylene. Sorbene product's unique properties are an outcome of the Graphene-SorbTM being used in them. This uniquely designed and proprietary form of Graphene solely manufactured by Log 9 Spill for making its oil absorption pads, booms, and pillows has the best in class absorption capability due to very large surface area, combined with rapid capillary uptake action and high saturation value.
Moreover, since Graphene-SorbTM is lightweight, Sorbene products have the best weight to absorption ratio across all competing products. Sorbene products are the only products in the oil absorption market which can absorb 86 times of its weight which means one Sorbene product can absorb more than 6 times than other products available in the market.
Sorbene products are eco-friendly since all ingredients that go into the making of the Sorbene products are easily degradable. Sorbene products cover a vast range of SKU such as pads, socks, pillows, booms, and spill kits, for each type of chemical and oil spills with the inherent capability of soaking up all kinds of liquids regardless of their density and viscosity. Log 9 Spill Containment has established a responsive supply chain network all over the world to provide the best service for spill response companies, oil refineries, and other stakeholders.
Sorbene products are designed with a safety-first philosophy.
The oil and chemical industry by their nature is a high-risk industry where humans work in proximity to highly inflammable reagents, oil, etc. Sorbene products are designed to create an extra layer of safety for its users.
Sorbene products do not promote active combustion and under controlled incineration leaves negligible residue leftover making disposal easy and minimizing the footprint on the planet. Moreover, Sorbene products are certified from the Haat Incinerators India Pvt Ltd for efficient disposal.
Our Mission
“To integrate nanotechnology with a range of quality products and at competitive prices to provide the best spill containment solutions to consumers.”
The mission of Sorbene is to diminish the destructive effects of the spill on the environment. An abundance of clean water is what provides the foundation for communities to prosper. Plants, animals, and every other life form rely on clean water to survive, just as we do. We strive to protect species and their habitats to ensure that we are all protected from the harmful effects of the spill. We aim to contain the spill on our planet and help to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle using nanotechnology solutions.
Our Vision
We will contribute to making human lifestyle sustainable, socially, and economically, by providing eco-friendly products and efficient management of resources. We will try to achieve zero carbon emission and higher efficiency in our manufacturing processes, considering these to be entrusted to our care, in stewardship, by our local and global communities. We will work to prevent pollution, recognizing that water and soil pollution leads to the destruction of the natural habitat. We will continue in the establishment of our corporate environmental management system by making continuous improvements, complying with legal norms.
