As long as we continue to transport oil around the world in ships, there is going to be the danger of oil spills, which have been some of our worst environmental disasters. While preventing such spills from happening at all is the first line of defense, we also need better approaches in cleaning up the spills that do occur.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have announced a new discovery in the development of materials that can ward off oil. They have developed new coating materials that are extremely oil repellant or “superoleophobic” in underwater environments.
Their work centers on a unique, layer-by-layer approach to fabricating thin multilayer polymer films. These films repel oil in seawater, lake water, in the presence of surface-active contaminants, and even when they are damaged or subjected to physical abrasion. This is in contrast to a number of other oleophobic materials that are known to stop working when they are put out into the real world.
Such materials can easily separate oil and water. In one test, researchers coated wire mesh with the material, and then poured a mixture of water and motor oil through it. The water passed through and nearly all of the oil accumulated on top of the mesh, allowing it to be easily collected and recovered. It is easy to imagine how such technology could be employed in the advent of an oil spill.
These new materials have a variety of potential applications. Apart from being used to clean up oil spills, they could also be useful in fragrances, pharmaceuticals, fine chemicals and other organic liquids.
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New oil repellant materials could help clean up oil spills
Photo, posted May 8, 2007, courtesy of Louisiana GOHSEP via Flickr.
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Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.