Scientists are describing what may be a "complete solution" to cleaning up oil spills -- a superabsorbent material that sops up 40 times its own weight in oil and then can be shipped to an oil refinery and processed to recover the oil. And with more and more oil refineries emergeing, creating a greater chance for an oil spill, an effective way to cleaning up the oil to avoid maximum damage is music to our ears. Current methods for coping with oil spills are low-tech, decades-old and have many disadvantages. Corncobs, straw and other absorbents, for instance, can hold only about 5 times their own weight and pick up water, as well as oil. And then they become industrial waste that must be disposed of in special landfills or burned, making for difficult situation. Their solution is a polymer material that transforms an oil spill into a soft, solid oil-containing gel. One pound of the material can recover about 5 gallons of crude oil. The gel is strong enough to be collected and transported. Then, it can be converted to a liquid and refined like regular crude oil. That oil would be worth $15 when crude oil sells for $100 a barrel. Although it is not a large profit being made, profit is still being made and the oil that is lost is now being reused rather than being wasted. This new solution will dramatically reduce the environmental impacts from oil spills and help recover one of our most precious natural resources, oil.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121003150906.htm
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