Australian researchers recently reported that they have developed a polymer that absorbs leaking oil as effectively as a sponge.
Made from waste oil and sulphur, this high buoyancy polymer is a by-product of the food and petroleum industry and is effective in cleaning up crude oil and diesel. This non-toxic polymer absorbs oil as quickly as a sponge, and when it is full, it can be recovered by extrusion and can be reused.
Research director, Justin Jock of Flinders University in Australia, said that the new polymer can be netted after adsorbing oil, which is very useful when cleaning small leaks or resolving coastlines. For greater leakage on the high seas, the polymer can be loaded into the filter. The mixture of oil and water is separated by a filter, and the filtered seawater is re-discharged into the ocean, and the leaked oil is recovered from the filter by the compressed oil polymer.
“We started out mainly to find new uses for industrial by-products,” said Jock. “But after discovering that this polymer is excellent in cleaning up crude oil and other hydrocarbons, we realized that in areas with limited resources, this May be an economically viable solution.”
Researchers are currently planning to establish a facility in South Australia to commercialize the product.