Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be another celebrity with a high-tech solution to the Gulf oil crisis, along come former NFL star quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Drew Bledsoe.

 

The two, along with famed ocean explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau, took part in a news conference last week to discuss their involvement in a company called Ecosphere Technologies.

 

“We can be on site within 72 hours, cleaning water,” Bledsoe said during the presser. “This is not technology sitting on the shelf waiting for a disaster. This is technology out in the field satisfying contracts for well over a year, so it’s proven. … When you watch it, it is magic seeing dirty, nasty water go in one end and then crystal, clean water out the other end.”

 

Unlike Kevin Costner's centrifuges, Ecosphere's Ozonix machines use "ultrasonic transducers and acoustic cavitation to create millions of microbubbles that rapidly transport the oil to the water’s surface in a focused containment zone for non-chemical separation."

 

The company has had success in helping natural gas companies recycle water used in the chemically heavy "fracking" process. They say the technology has been in development for more than 12 years.

 

Even more interesting is a patent the company filed on Monday, announcing a technology that could help BP and other energy exploration companies recover oil during a deepwater spill.

 

The process would involve "millions of nano bubbles" raising oil to the surface — potentially preventing massive underwater plumes from forming.

 

"[BP's chemical dispersant] keeps it underwater and out of sight, out of mind, which we don't think is the long-term answer," said Bledsoe. "It just keeps the oil in the water. What we're proposing is using our technology to help get the oil to the surface in a more contained environment, so we can more efficiently strip the oil out of the water."

 

Sounds like these guys invested in the right company. Who would have thought so many recognizable names would be helping BP clean up this mess?