Few environmental disasters resonate so strongly in the collective imagination. oil spill in the sea. The catastrophe images of Alaska’s Exxon Her Valdez and Spain’s Prestige are still in our memory, not to mention the Deep Water Her Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Estimates of oil spills into seas and other bodies of water as a result of industrial processes and oil incidents exceed 2 million tonnes.There are several ways to deal with oil spills, either mechanical or chemical, but it is worth noting that technology A new approach developed by the University of British Columbia in Canada brings a different approach.the system they devised clear oil leak,at the same time purify oil mixed with waterThis means that in addition to purifying contaminated water, recovered oil can be used instead of dumping.
Researchers led by chemical engineering student Chun Haow (Bryan) Kung have developed a reusable membrane. Constructed of copper mesh, it can be manufactured quickly and cheaply.one time smart membrane When ready to use, immerse in the electrolyte and apply current continuously for 2 minutes. The resulting material has an uneven surface and copper oxide, allowing only oil to pass through. However, when another low current is applied (alkaline batteries are sufficient), the surface structure changes. Now the process is reversed and only water is allowed to pass through while the oil is retained. The membrane is then simply dried to restore its original properties.
Current lab tests show 98% efficiency in the filtration process regardless of oil density and viscosity. In addition to low cost production and low maintenance, the membranes are extremely durable and have proven to retain all their properties after 30 filter cycles. The developers of this technology point to a wide range of uses for this technology. InnovationThis includes not only oil spill cleanup, but also fuel cleanup and Wastewater treatment.
biomimetic membrane
In addition to these copper-based structures, there have been other projects embarking on developing more efficient filtration membranes. One of them is based on the following principle: biomimicryis inspired by the mouth structure of filter-fed fish. The bony arches in the throats of these species become narrower and more closely spaced as they go deeper and filter the food of floating prey.
of technology It consists of a steel mesh divided into five sections, with pore widths that gradually narrow from 150 to 30 nanometers.of biomimetic membrane It is then covered with a layer of hydrophilic cobalt oxide. Therefore, when used in a cleaning net, the wider pores allow water to pass through, driving oil particles into the upper area and overflowing into the collector. to hold back.
sauce: new atlas, Sen
