1. Answer the questions.
- Why do animals and birds suffer from oil spills?
- What are other environmental effects of oil spills?
- What are the possible ways of removing an oil spill?
2. Read the article and choose the subtitle for each paragraph.
1. No more water in the water
2. The material to start with
3. The structure and features
4. The need for support
Oleo Sponge
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In 2017 scientists at the U.S. Argonne National Laboratory invented a reusable sponge that soaks up oil. A new foam, called Oleo Sponge, that could revolutionize oil spill and diesel cleanup, addresses this problem. The material not only easily absorbs oil from water, but is also reusable and can pull dispersed oil from the entire water column — not just the surface. "The Oleo Sponge offers a set of possibilities that, as far as we know, are unprecedented," said co-inventor Seth Darling, a scientist with Argonne's Center for Nanoscale Materials and a fellow of the University of Chicago's Institute for Molecular Engineering.
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The scientists started out with common polyurethane foam, used in everything from furniture cushions to home insulation. This foam has lots of nooks and crannies, like an English muffin, which could provide ample surface area to grab oil; but they needed to give the foam a new surface chemistry in order to firmly attach the oil-loving molecules.
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After some trial and error, they found a way to adapt the technique to grow an extremely thin layer of metal oxide "primer" near the foam's interior surfaces. This serves as the perfect glue for attaching the oil-loving molecules, which are deposited in a second step; they hold onto the metal oxide layer with one end and reach out to grab oil molecules with the other. The result is Oleo Sponge, a block of foam that easily adsorbs oil from the water. The material, which looks a bit like an outdoor seat cushion, can be wrung out to be reused - and the oil itself recovered. At tests at a giant seawater tank the Oleo Sponge successfully collected diesel and crude oil from both below and on the water surface. "The material is extremely sturdy. We've run dozens to hundreds of tests, wringing it out each time, and we have yet to see it break down at all," the scientists said. "The technique offers enormous flexibility, and can be adapted to other types of cleanup besides oil in seawater. You could attach a different molecule to grab any specific substance you need."
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The research was funded by the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. The team used resources of the Center for Nanoscale Materials, a DOE Office of Science User Facility, in the development of the material. The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. Meanwhile, the team is actively looking to commercialize the material.
3. Watch the video and mark the statements as True or False
- The new sponge cannot be used more than once. True or False
- It can pull oil from the water surface. True or False
- The inventors of Oleo Sponge started with unique polyurethane foam. True or False
- The task for the inventors was to create the material that can draw oil up. True or False
- The oil that is pulled up from the water can be used to create gasoline. True or False
- Argonne National Laboratory wants to attract the investments of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement to continue working. True or False