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Environment

Modified sponge mops up oil but not water

Researchers created a coated polymer sponge to clean up oil spills and other water pollution

by Kerri Jansen
November 27, 2017

Credit: D. Haldar/ACS Omega/C&EN
 

In an effort to provide a cheap, reusable method to clean up water after oil and chemical spills, Tanmay Das and Debasish Haldar of the Indian Institute of Science Education & Research, Kolkata, coated a polystyrene sponge with a compound that allows it to absorb a wide range of oil and organic solvents but not water (ACS Omega 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.7b01379). Watch this video to see the oil-mopping sponge in action.

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