- This topic is empty.
-
Posts
-
Okay, I’ll bite. What’s rhino snot? Haven’t heard of it before.
Hopefully something to keep the McMurdo volcanic dust down. That’s a real problem at the Pole too. Oh, wait…
g
You are right, Glenn
Rhino Snot is some kind of polymer they plan to put on the roads to keep the dust down.
MActually I understood they put some down last season as a test. Not sure of the results since I think they were late in the summer and missed the dusty season.
BTFrom the Rhinosnot FAQ page… “Freezing Envirotac II is not recommended. Polymers will coagulate and decrease the original strength.”
And in the product description: “Envirotac II binds the soil’s particles together by forming a clear, plastic and resin bond.”
Uh, not to be too much of a cynic, but is spraying plastic all over the place in Antarctica a good idea? I realize it’s non-toxic, but then so are Styrofoam peanuts and plastic bags… I wouldn’t want to be the person trying to justify this on an EIA.
I was wondering the same thing. How did they get that past the environmental impact process. For the life of me, I can’t imagine anyone approving it. Mut be the name. Envirotac sounds like it’s actually good for the environment.
MYeah, the name “Envirotech” confused me too. I was looking for some kind of information saying that it was biodegradable… I never found it. Instead it looks like a spray-on plastic coating. Maybe it’s more environmentally friendly when compared to spreading oil on roads, but methinks you’d have to use an awful lot of it to have any effect in McMurdo. I’d prefer it if they just sprayed the roads with water a little bit more.
In Iraq the dust was really bad. It was more like powder then sand. They used the grey water to spray the roads and that helped a lot. Also made the place smell better b/c it was mostly from the laundry facilities. Weird, but better.
Some of this stuff was used on our construction site (in the dusty Nevada desert) last summer, but I didn’t notice much difference. Since it is an “acrylic polymer” I’m surprised it got approved. I looked around just now and couldn’t find an MSDS.
http://www.envirotac.com/safety_sheet_1.pdf
http://www.envirotac.com/env_data.htm
“Apply at temperatures above 45F.”
“Keep from freezing. Direct sunlight and heat may cause product to have a less desirable odor.”24-28 square feet of coverage per gallon?
I don’t understand why they’d try using that, either. Seems another few passes per day with the laundry water would’ve been a better idea.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.