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When the Deepwater Horizon drilling pipe blew out seven years ago, beginning the worst oil spill in U.S. history, those in charge of the recovery discovered a new wrinkle: the millions of gallons of oil bubbling from the sea floor weren't all collecting on the surface where it could be skimmed or burned. Some of it was forming a plume and drifting through the ocean under the surface.
Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have invented a new foam, called Oleo Sponge, that addresses this problem. The material not only easily adsorbs oil from water, but is also reusable and can pull dispersed oil from the entire water column—not just the surface.
"The Oleo Sponge offers a set of possibilities that, as far as we know, are unprecedented," said co-inventor Seth Darling, a scientist with Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials and a fellow of the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering.
Argonne invents reusable sponge that soaks up oil, could revolutionize oil spill and diesel cleanup
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 08 2017, @02:07AM (2 children)
Developed at Argonne, a Department of Energy Laboratory.
Good thing the new head of the DoE has said he wants to eliminate the department.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 08 2017, @02:12AM (1 child)
Maybe we should get the ShamWow guy to sell this thing.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 08 2017, @02:20AM
Joy Mangano of the miracle mop.