Carbon Sponge: A dual utility solution to Oil Spills.

Guide

• Dr. Kashinath N Patil

The carbon nanotube material can now be easily manufactured in labs. It has high absorbing capacity since its surface area is very large. The material is hydrophobic as well as oleophilic in nature which means it absorbs oil and repels water.

The experiments conducted on with the material shows that the material absorbs 20-30% more than its weight. The important thing to notice is that the material has high Calorific value and the oil absorbed also adds up to its calorific value making it a great source of fuel. The oil absorbed by the material can be easily extracted and thus the oil can be reused again.

The experiment conducted shows that the material does not absorb the inorganic solvent. Thus this process can be used to separate the organic and inorganic solvent from a mixture. The absorbing capacity of the material can further be increased by processing the material with the KOH solution. This process increase the porosity of the CNT material which further increase the surface area and thus surface contact with the oil resulting in the increase of absorbing capacity.

Product design and experimentation setup and experiment

APPLICATION

• The material can be used to absorb oil which is spilled during extraction of oil in oceans and water bodies. The material is hydrophobic as well as oleophilic in nature i.e. it absorbs only oil which is spilled and not the water. The important thing is that oil absorbed can also be reused again by extracting it from the material.

• The material has high Calorific value, oil absorbed can add to the calorific value making it a great source of fuel.

• The material can be spread on the road at the site of oil spill caused due to transportation of liquid fuels. The material can absorb fuels such as petrol and diesel so that we can reuse it again. It increases the traction between road and tires so that the accident due to oil spills reduces.

• The material can be used in chemistry labs to separate the organic and inorganic solvent. Since the material has high absorbing capacity for organic solvent.

Highlights

• Created a prototype that can separate oil from water using carbon nanotubes that can be used during oil spills in ocean and further increasing its absorbing capacity by processing the material. The oil can be easily extracted from the CNT material for further use without wasting it.

• Participated in One of the Top 20 teams in the Final round of ‘Kalam Innovation Awards’ a national level Innovation Competition held at Sairam Institution, Chennai, in the category of Water and Environment, April 09, 2017.

• Also, have copyright for the same. Registration No: L83802/2019

Learnings

• Product Development, Design and prototype making

• Report Writing

• Presentation Skills

• Innovative thinking