Photo Credit: Alex Mead
The orange and black floating objects are containment booms used to contain potential oil spills into the Rogue River in Michigan. Containment booms are used stop an oil slick from contacting the shore as well as concentrating the oil slick to one place. By concentrating the oil it becomes possible to use skimmers and vacuums to collect the oil and dispose of it properly.
Photo Credit: Alex Mead
Pictured above is a flare, common to many industrial complexes around the world. The purpose of a flare is to burn off unwanted gases, such as methane, which could pose a threat of explosion if they were allowed to collect. The flare may seem like a waste of energy, but unfortunately it is not economical to actually capture this gas and use it. However, as fuel prices rise, this uneconomical gas is becoming viable and in turn being captured and used by many flare operators.