OilGuard wins Swiss award

The BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill triggered fast and furious research efforts to minimize harm to Gulf Coast environments, and a team consisting of Swiss and German companies developed a nonwoven fabric, Oilguard, that protects coastal areas and beaches from contamination. The Swiss Innovation Forum awarded HeiQ Materials AG, Basel, Switzerland, with the Swiss Technology Award for its rapid development of OilGuard. HeiQ, a manufacturer of antimicrobial additives, partnered with Beyond Surface Technologies AG, Prattein, Switzerland, developer of textile surface technologies; and TWE Group, Dierdorf, Germany, a manufacturer of nonwovens. TWE Group will be working with Saehen Hitech Ltd. in Korea to market OilGuard for oil spills in that region.