Who Knew? Kevin Costner's Been Working on Oil Spill Cleaning Gizmo For Years

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So apparently Kevin Costner (yes, that Kevin Costner) has spent millions of dollars over the last eight years developing a centrifuge-like device called Ocean Therapy that removes oil from seawater.

Placed on a barge, it sucks in large quantities of polluted water, separates out the oil and spits back 97% clean water....

His scientist brother, Dan Costner, helped develop the device, and together, the brothers formed Costner Industries Nevada Corp. to pursue various energy projects, including a non-chemical battery that could last 15 years.

The 55-year-old actor eventually sank $26 million into the Ocean Therapy oil separator project. He obtained a license for the device from the Department of Energy in 1993 and has been trying for years to promote it.

BP has agreed to start testing Costner's inventions in the Gulf. The biggest Ocean Therapy unit can clean water at a rate of 200 gallons per minute, which is faster than the oil is leaking. If it works, this will totally make up for Waterworld.