Even though oil and water separate when mixed, they still mix enough to cause problems, especially for our ecosystems. Even though the last few decades have seen an increase in oil trading, we’ve actually seen a dip in the number of large scale oil spills. There were only two spills last year with more than 700 tons of oil. The most common methods of cleaning oil spills can vary depending on the severity of the spill. Dispersants break up the oil in the water, allowing it to be dispersed through wave movement until it is broken down by bacteria. Booms and skimmers are deployed in small oil spills to help contain the oil in one location and then skim the oil off the surface of the water. Situ burning involves a controlled burn of the oil sitting on top of the water. Scientists have discovered a new way to remove up to 99% of the oil mixed into water - magnetic nanoparticles. While the other methods can remove much of the oil deposited into the ocean by overturned tankers or shipwrecks, the 5% that has emulsified into the water is the trickier part. “Injected chemicals and natural surfactants in crude oil can oftentimes chemically stabilize the oil-water interface, leading to small droplets of oil in water which are challenging to break up,” said Sibani Lisa Biswal, an associate professor at Rice University. Break It Up Professor Biswal’s research involved adding amines, an organic compound with a positive charge, to magnetic iron nanoparticles. The positive charge of the amines allows the nanoparticles to locate the negatively charged oil droplets and bind to them. One bound together, it is possible to use magnets to attract and remove the oil droplets. In the lab, Biswal’s team was able to test this solution on both model oil and crude oil. In both instances, the team was able to insert the nanoparticles and shake the solution by hand or by machine to bond the nanoparticles to the oil. Clean It Up The most exciting part of this discovery is that once the oil particles are removed, the nanoparticles can be cleaned and reused for other tasks while the oil can be recovered. The researchers at Professor Biswal’s lab are creating a system which can automatically recycle these nanoparticles. All of this means wonders for places like offshore rigs where water that has been treated can be put back into the ocean even after a massive oil spill. We’re so happy when we see magnets being put to good use for tasks such as cleaning up our environment. We hope that the scientific community continues to innovate and come up with new and exciting ways to use our favorite tool, magnets. You can stay up to date on all of the magnetic related news you could ever want at our News & How-To’s blog or in our monthly newsletter. Sign up today for exclusive deals only available to Apex Magnets customers!