Welcome to the OttiMat™ Website
The OttiMat™ is an innovative product that uses recycled human hair to repair and prevent the environmental damage caused by oil spills. Comprised of 99% recycled human hair and 1% Polypropylene Floatation Liner, OttiMat adsorbs (holds on to) oil. OttiMat™ patented technology is environmentally friendly, non-hazardous and all natural.
The Idea: The Ottimat was invented by Phil McCory, a hair stylist in Huntsville, Alabama. While watching television coverage of the 1989 Valdez oil spill, McCory noticed the difficulty volunteers were having cleaning the fur of otters.
McCory thought, “ if animal fur can trap and hold spilled oil, why can’t human hair?”
The Environmental Angle: 60 million pounds of human hair are disposed of in landfills each year. The OttiMat avoids the use of toxic oil cleaners in our water sources by using hair, a non-decomposing material. Human hair is easily available, low cost and cost effective.
The NASA Testing: NASA conducted a prototype experiment that treated a partially filled 55-gallon drum of oil-water mixture from an actual fuel oil spill. The contaminated oil-water mixture was rapidly poured through a human hair filter inside a 55-gallon drum and drained into a clean 55-gallon drum. Approximately 300 pounds of oil-water mixture was poured through the prototype system. It took 13 minutes. When the water was tested after a single pass, only 17 parts of oil per million parts of water remained.