Fossil fuels are the cause and the solution to many of the challenges posed by human development. 1cent Industrial Revolution, 19 yearsth The century would not have existed without coal and the second centurynd one in his early 20sth We would not have developed this century without oil. But these sources have their own drawbacks, such as the soot and smog that polluted Dickens-era London. global warming and a plastic island oil spilled into the sea. While countries and companies are working on development, alternative power supply, here and now, we need a realistic approach to the most immediate damage. along that line, oil spill Environmental disasters remain one of the most serious environmental disasters, as evidenced by several accidents over the past few years. There are now several ways to combat them, including oil booms, chemical dispensers, and sorbents like sawdust. But nature may offer us another way of tackling this problem. two exotic aquatic ferns, Salvinia Moresta and Pistia.
Native to South America, these species can double in size in a matter of days and exhibit some interesting properties that have inspired scientific researchers. Specifically, they are called “superhydrophobic”, which means they repel water very efficiently. This property can be explained by the presence of trichomes, a dense network that covers the leaves at the nanoscale level, and a layer of waxy crystallites covering them.A few years ago, quoted from biomimetic, several researchers at the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT) have developed a new m3D printing material they named nanofur. This was based on applying a hot steel plate onto the polymer. As the polymer layer melts, the plate retracts, pulling out millions of nanowires in the process. It’s like a cheese string on a pizza. The material can repel water, absorb oil Same as salvinian weed. However, the natural absorption properties of fern have not yet been properly tested. Claudia Zeiger, a researcher at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), wanted to study the absorption rate of Salvinia and found that it was significantly higher than expected, as shown below. in this video. In fact, the absorption process occurs within 30 seconds.
Analysis of several ferns showed that Salvinia’s efficiency stems from its ‘egg beater’ shaped hairs that can trap oil molecules. This discovery was reproduced in the lab using carbon nanotubes. Zeiger believes these weeds could be used directly on oil spills, killing two birds with one stone by preventing their spread. oil spill You can clean it in an environmentally friendly way. A major challenge facing researchers today is scaling up their research. technology Laboratory spills and weed recovery and availability during oil spills.
Sponge to absorb spilled oil
Another technology recently used to fight oil spill Based on a polymer developed using edible oils and sulfur. Both are waste that can be recycled for environmental purposes. Similar to Nanofur above, this is also a hydrophobic material.Developed by Flinders University In Australia, these sponges can be spread over water or packed into filters to pump oil and water mixtures.
Fuentes: got science, intraocular pressure science, ABC