Scientists from the Kuzbass State Technical University have developed innovative sorbents which can be used to contain and remove oil spills in Arctic water bodies.

“Innovative oil sorbents have the following main advantages, namely, high magnetism and buoyancy <…> They are based on magnetite nuclei making it possible for them to attract oil film in water bodies and to control it for effective oil spill removal,” project manager Assistant Professor Yelena Ushakova noted.

She also added that Kuzbass sorbents can function effectively in extremely low temperatures, powerful winds and even under the ice. Consequently, they can be used in the Arctic. It is necessary to use special electromagnetic systems in order to remove oil slicks with this sorbent. They will attract the sorbent nuclei, and this will help control oil slicks on the water surface. The innovative invention’s carbon body absorbs oil; the body is manufactured by granulating or pelletizing the waste of coal, livestock-breeding and woodworking enterprises, including active silt layers inside purification facilities.

“Kuzbass has a lot of waste that can be recycled and used to obtain magnet-controlled oil sorbents. Ready-made biomass makes it possible to make a batch of sorbents in just one day. About 280 kilograms of biomass or surplus active silt, as well as 900 grams of coal dust and 50 grams of magnetite, are needed to make one kg of oil sorbents,” the University’s press service noted.

Specialists continue to upgrade the invention and to study heat treatment methods for the magnetite nucleus, as well as the limits of its heat resistance and durability.