Sorbent Science: Cleaning Oil Spills

An environmental engineering exercise from Science Buddies

Cleaning up oil spills in the ocean is a big, messy job. But some simple household materials do a surprisingly good job at absorbing oil from water. Learn how with this surprising activity! George Retseck

Key concepts The environment Engineering Oil Absorption Introduction Have you ever seen news coverage or other pictures of an oil spill in the ocean? Oil spills can devastate wildlife and damage our precious water resources. So it is important to try to clean spilled oil (which can come from shipping tankers or offshore oil drilling rigs) quickly and thoroughly. But cleaning spills can be challenging. And scientists are often looking for new and different substances to help them. In this science activity you can test the absorptivity of different materials (called sorbents) to discover which ones are best at removing oil from water. Background Oil isn't just for fueling cars. Are you wearing shoes right now? Chances are good that some parts of those shoes are made from petroleum oil. Now look at the fabric of your clothes, chair cushion, bedspread, carpet and drapes. If they aren't entirely cotton or another natural fiber, many of these fabrics were made at least in part from oil. In the kitchen you may find fruits and vegetables grown with the help of fertilizers and pesticides, which are also oil-containing products. If you head to the bathroom, you might find medicines, lotions, toothpaste, shampoos and bandages made in part from oil. Oil products are everywhere, including outdoors: car tires, roads and, yes, the fuel that powers most motor vehicles. Because oil is used in so many ways, great amounts of it are carried long distances to factories that turn it into the products that we have become accustomed to having. Every day, millions of barrels of oil are moved around, mostly on tankerswhich can carry more than 200,000 tons each. Occasionally these tankers have accidents, or offshore drilling rigs are damaged, and oil spills into the ocean. One way environmental engineers try to clean spills is with sorbentsmaterials good at absorbing liquids. If youve used a sponge, paper towel or kitty litter, youve already used a sorbent. Now we will explore specifically which sorbents are good for removing oil from water. Materials

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Sorbent Science: Cleaning Oil Spills