Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have create a "sponge" that effectively soaks up oil from water and do so multiple times without having to be disposed of. It can absorb up to 90 times its own weight, and remove oil from both the surface and lower depths. On top of this, the oil absorbed can be reused after it is squeezed out. The sponge is made out of a polyurethane coated with silane molecules. This allows for the oil to bind with the sponge and then squeezed out. The most advantageous aspect of this sponge is that it can be reused as apposed to current methods known as sorbents which can only been used once.
This new invention is a smart idea as it gives cleanup teams a better resource to clean up oil spills on both the surface and in the lower depths of the water. A better option would be not spill oil at all but we all know that won't happen. That is the ultimate goal to strive to where we have no oil spills but for now, this new sponge is a positive step forward. http://www.enn.com/ecosystems/article/50731
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Alex Garcia-Environmentalist Archives
December 2016
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