Author(s)

A.H. Al-Marzouqi, A. Busamra, F. Mohammed, S. Al-Shehhi & W. Abdulwahab

Abstract

A novel absorbent-skimmer technology for cleaning oil spills A.H. Al-Marzouqi, A. Busamra, F. Mohammed, S. Al-Shehhi & W. Abdulwahab Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, U.A.E. University, United Arab Emirates. Abstract Oil spills cause major economic and environmental problems in the world because of their impact to the marine life, beaches, and industrial facilities, which depend on the intake of clean seawater such as desalination plants. The main objective of this study was to evaluate and utilize a continuous process for the fast, effective and economical removal of oil from seawater. In ths study a new method consisting of absorbent and skimming technology was used to clean up oil spills and minimize their environmental effects. In order to find the best absorbent, the efficacy of different native absorbents for cleaning oil spills on seawater under typical UAE environmental conditions was evaluated. Results showed that low-density polyurethane sponge was the best absorbent fo

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