Styrofoam sponges handle oil spills

Oil spill is an environmental pollution incident. Waste from agriculture and forestry is also a concern for environmental scientists, the solution is to use the waste to offset the other.

Scientists from the Swiss research group Empa have used cellulose waste from wood , grass, and sponge-like foam. This material can absorb up to 50 times the amount of oil seeped in the ocean compared to its own weight.

Styrofoam foam is made from the modified chemical reaction of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) , also known as nanocellulose .

NFC is typically made up of cellulose (waste wood, scrap paper, agricultural byproducts), adding water, kneading and boiling it at high pressure to form a gel, then freeze The gel removes water to form a sponge that, by its nature, is long nanocellulose fibers bonded together, the foam can absorb both oil and water.

As it can absorb both types of liquids, the foam will be less effective when working on the surface. So, to prevent them from draining the water, only the oil spilled, the researchers from Empa mixed the alkoxysilane prior to freeze drying.

Laboratory experiments show that wood sponge effectively removes substances like silicone oil, ethanol, acetone, chloroform ... from water samples in just a few seconds.

The Gizmag magazine said that Empam is continuing to expand its scale of applications to address the widespread use of oil spills.