Environmental activist and fisherman Kevin Costner has been working on oil/water separation technology since the Exxon Valdez catastrophe. Costner’s brother, Dan, is a scientist who worked on the project: Ocean Therapy Solutions.

Disturbed by the effects of the Valdez spill in Alaska, Mr. Costner bought the nascent technology from the government in 1995 and put $24 million of his own money into developing it for the private sector.