Scientists Develop New Material That Soaks Up Oil Spills

Results of a study published by a blogger on Tuesday of the Exxon Mobil Pegasus pipeline oil spill in Arkansas said there are 30 chemicals found in the sample.

The report came out on the same day of news that scientists have developed a lightweight and reusable material that can absorb oil spill up to 33 times its weights in certain chemicals.

Steven Horn wrote in an article in Desmog Blog, citing the results of the independent study co-published by the Faulkner County Citizens Advisory Group and Global Community Monitor, identified the chemicals found include benzene, toluene, ethybenzene, n-hexane and xylenes.

He pointed out that breathing in ethylbeneze and benzene could cause cancer and could affect the reproductive system, while breathing hexane could damaged and nervous system and cause numbness in the extremities, muscular weakness, blurred vision, headaches and fatigue.

The 65-year-old Exxon Mobil pipeline burst without warning and dumped tar sands oil from Canada in the town of Mayflower, Arkansas in March. A month after the accident, residents are still in the dark about the incident.

There are three groups investigating the oil spill in Mayflower - the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and U.S. Representative Ed Markey of Massachusetts.

There are now doubts about the safety of air and water in the area caused by the oil spill since BP, which was responsible for the Gulf oil spill, had lied about the safety of chemical dispersants it used.

Meanwhile, Ian Chen of Australia's Deakin University, co-author of a study, disclosed that his team created nanosheets made of boron nitride, also known as white grapheme, that soaked a wide range of chemical solvents and dyes discharged by textile, paper and tannery industries.

It can float on water but is water-repellant. Once the white sheets are dropped on water surface that is polluted with oil, it absorbs the brown oil and turns dark brown. In two minutes, all oil are taken up by the nanosheets.

The team pointed out that other materials used to counter oil spills such as activated carbon or natural fibres have much lower absorption rates than their new discovery.