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Sponge-Like "Swelling Glass" Absorbs Toxins in Water
MikeChino writes "A company called Absorbent Materials has created a new kind of 'swelling glass' that can clean up contaminated groundwater by soaking up volatile molecules like a sponge. Dubbed 'Obsorb,' the material can hold up to 8 times its weight in fuel, oil, and solvents without sucking up any of the water itself. Once the material is full it floats to the surface and the pollutants can be skimmed off."
Was that just a short press release with some random unrelated photos, or did I completely miss the boat on this one?
TFA refers to the material as Obsorb, but a linked page refers to it as Osorb.
So which is it?
Well, it seems someone below you has posted a similar question, so it isn't as stupid as I thought.
The website link says (there are only 3 or 4 sentences there...):
...can be skimmed off. Afterwards, it can be dropped back into the water and reused hundreds of times.
So the idea is you use it to make contaminated groundwater drinkable, then suck out the concentrated toxins and dispose of it in a better place than drinking water.
NSF Grant to Aid in Further Development of Water Purifying Substance
Looks somewhat legit, let's hope for their success...
Google is your friend. Apparently, this all centers around the use of zero-valent iron (which seems to merely be atomic iron without any binding).More info here: http://www.clu-in.org/download/remed/542-f-08-009.pdf Warning: PDF. Apparently, this is a hot topic, and Osorb isn't the only material out there using nanoZVI for cleaning purposes.
Interesting stuff. Hadn't heard of it before.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
It might fill up with water. If that happens, then clearly the water was the contaminant.
Now you have considerably purified your water slick, leaving only pure environmentally-friendly petroleum in your bays. Think of how happy* the salmon, the seabirds, and the plankton will be!
*Claim void if it turns out that ocean life live in water, not petroleum. You mileage may vary.
Welcome to the Panopticon. Used to be a prison, now it's your home.
This seems to be based on atomic iron in some form of nanoscale dust. As a result, its application seems to be much wider than just absorbing hydrocarbons. As an example, there are a few papers that studied the decomposition of atrazine in the presence of nanoZVI. Apparently,it's pretty successful.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
They may be "toxic" but they are not "toxins". Example of toxin: Botox(TM), which stands for botulic toxin. A toxin is a toxic substance created by an organism.