The scale and scope of uncontrolled oil spills can be devastating. Diverse marine environments and fragile ecologies are some of the most susceptible to the many ill effects, while the economic costs can be crippling. A notoriously difficult challenge with no known technological solution is the successful removal of oil dispersed in the water column. Here, we address this problem through cheap and reusable oil sorbents based on the chemical modification of polymer foams. Interfacial chemistry was optimized and subsequently tested in a simulated marine environment at the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility, Ohmsett. We find favorable performance for surface oil mitigation and, for the first time, demonstrate the advanced sorbent's efficiency and efficacy at pilot scale in extraction of crude oil and refined petroleum products dispersed in the water column. This is a potentially disruptive technology, opening a new field of environmental science focused on sub-surface pollutant sequestration.

中文翻译：

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减轻水柱中的溢油

不受控制的溢油事故的规模和范围可能是毁灭性的。多样的海洋环境和脆弱的生态环境最容易受到许多不良影响的影响，而经济成本却可能下降。在没有已知技术解决方案的情况下，一个众所周知的难题是如何成功去除分散在水塔中的油。在这里，我们通过基于聚合物泡沫的化学改性的廉价且可重复使用的吸油剂解决了这一问题。对界面化学进行了优化，并随后在Ohmsett的国家漏油反应研究与可再生能源测试设施的模拟海洋环境中进行了测试。我们发现减轻表面油的性能良好，并首次展示了先进的吸附剂。在中试规模上提取分散在水塔中的原油和精炼石油产品的效率和功效。这是一种潜在的破坏性技术，开辟了专注于地下污染物隔离的环境科学新领域。