Oil Spill Disasters

Oil vacuum makes sucking up spills a cinch

New Scientist |

In Brief...

Cleaning up oil spills from the shoreline could soon be as simple as vacuuming the carpet, thanks to a device that sucks up slicks.. The device, developed by engineering students at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, uses a combination of rotating brushes and suction to remove oil from the shore (some whimsical images on the project's website give you an idea of how the device works).. Cleaning up oil spills currently involves volunteers spreading a material such as bark, peat moss, or a chemical absorbent over the affected area, to soak up the oil. The direction of the brushes is then reversed and the mixture is sucked up into the pipe, says team member Arne Sigmund Skeie. The device, called the Mose - or Mechanical Oil spill Sanitation Equipment - could also be used to clean up industrial oil spills or those from car accidents..

Read the entire article at New Scientist...

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