Smart sponge could clean up oil spills

A team has developed a porous smart sponge that selectively soaks up oil in water.

The smart sponge absorbs oil (on the left) and resists water (on the right). Photo: Northwestern University

With an ability to absorb more than 30 times its weight in oil, the sponge could be used to inexpensively and efficiently clean up oil spills without harming marine life. The sponge can be reused dozens of times without losing its effectiveness.

"Oil spills have devastating and immediate effects on the environment, human health and the economy," said Northwestern's Vinayak Dravid, who led the research.

"Although many spills are small and may not make the evening news, they are still profoundly invasive to the ecosystem and surrounding community. Our sponge can remediate these spills in a more economic, efficient and eco-friendly manner than any of the current state-of-the-art solutions."

Oil spill cleanup is an expensive and complicated process that often harms marine life and causes damage to the environment in addition to the spill.

Current solutions include burning the oil, using chemical dispersants to break oil down into very small droplets, skimming the oil floating on top of the water or absorbing it with expensive, unrecyclable sorbents.

The new solution bypasses these challenges by selectively absorbing oil and leaving clean water and unaffected marine life behind.

The secret lies in a nanocomposite coating of magnetic nanostructures and a carbon-based substrate that is oleophilic (attracts oil), hydrophobic (resists water) and magnetic.

The nanocomposite's nanoporous 3D structure selectively interacts with and binds to the oil molecules, capturing and storing the oil until it is squeezed out.

The magnetic nanostructures give the smart sponge two additional abilities: controlled movement in the presence of an external magnetic field and desorption of adsorbed components, such as oil, in a simulated and remote manner. (National Science Foundation)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Atmospheric scientists identify cleanest air on Earth in first-of-its-kind study

First research to measure the bioaerosol composition of the Southern Ocean.

Study shows that dry air drives overlooked changes in how plants use water

Climate change shifting how plants use water.

High doses of ketamine can temporarily switch off the brain

Researchers have identified two brain phenomena that may explain some of the side-effects of ketamine.

A steaming cauldron followed the dinosaurs' demise

Chicxulub crater may have harbored a vast, long-lived hydrothermal system.

Archaeologists have revealed an entire Roman city without any digging.

For the first time, a team of archaeologists has succeeded in mapping a complete Roman city using advanced ground penetrating radar.

Scientists find much earlier birth date for Earth's tectonic plates

Network of tectonic plates was in place at least a billion years earlier than thought.