SCIENTISTS in the US have invented a new type of reusable sponge that can soak up oil, saying it could revolutionise oil spill clean-ups.
The Oleo Sponge has been created at the US Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory. As well as being reusable, it is said to be able to soak up oil from under the water surface, something that most oil clean-up tools can not do. In many oil spill cases the oil will not collect on the surface but float in suspension in the water making it dificult to collect.
Scientists at the Chicago-based Argonne National Laboaratory say that the properties of the Oleo Sponge offer unprecedented opportunities. The sponge can literally be wrung out like a wet cloth, thus releasing the oil so the oil may even be reusable.
The lab is now looking to commercialise the invention, with anyone interested in licensing being aked to get in touch regarding further collaboration.
Photo courtesy of Mark Lopez/Argonne National Laboratory
Read more about the Oleo Sponge on Argonne National Laboratory’s press release.
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