Cleaning Oil Spills with Magnets

Sep-16-12 A team at MIT has developed a way to clean up oil spills using magnets, which could allow much of the oil to be recovered for use.

The technique involves mixing water-repellent ferrous nanoparticles with the oil, which is then separated from the water by using magnets. To ensure efficiency during inconstant concentrations of oil and water, the magnets were immersed in the stream of oil and water and arranged perpendicularly to the flow. Because the cylindrical magnets used by the team are strongest at their ends, the oil is most strongly attracted to the tips of the magnets, where the droplets shoot up the sides of the magnets to form beaded spheres around their ends.

The process would be carried out on board an oil-recovery vessel, preventing the nanoparticles from contaminating the environment and allowing them to be harvested for use again.

More Info about this Invention:

[GIZMAG.COM]
[MIT]

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