Oil

Although we've seen many materials designed for removing oil spills from water, many of them are single-use, ultimately ending up in landfills. Now, however, scientists have created an oil-absorbing sponge that can be used over and over again.

Boston Dynamics put its nimble four-legged robot called Spot up for sale in September last year, and its unique abilities are catching the attention of oil companies looking toward a future of automation.

Although we've seen several materials that are designed to remove oil from water, many of these become saturated, and have to be discarded. A new reusable membrane gets around this problem, however, by repelling oil instead of just soaking it up.

Although many materials have been created to soak up oil spills, most of them are designed to simply capture the bulk of the floating slick. A new sponge, however, specializes in grabbing the suspended oil droplets that would otherwise be missed.

In the not-too-distant future, folks dealing with oil spills may have a robotic helper to call on.

Plunging down to a depth of about 11,000 meters, the Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean, so it’s no surprise that we don’t really know what’s down there. New species and strange sounds have turned up recently, and now researchers have discovered a new group of oil-eating bacteria.

​Lubricating your bike's chain can be a messy and wasteful business, as excess oil drips off the chain and onto the ground. German startup The Outsider Team is out to do something about it, though, with its Flectr Lubri Disc.

Essential oils are most commonly associated with aromatherapy and other alternative “medicines." Now a team at Johns Hopkins has found that some essential oils may have antibiotic properties, particularly against a persisting form of the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.

It's well reported that oil spills can have a catastrophic biological and environmental impact. But to date, few studies have examined the effect of whole crude oil on senses of a marine vertebrate. A new study is the first to confirm effects on stingrays' sense of smell.

​Removing oil spills from water is a difficult business, with various approaches having met with mixed results. Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Forestry believe they may be onto something, however, in the form of a reusable "wooden" sponge that absorbs oil while leaving water behind.

​Sometimes, people want to clean up polluted water, by removing spilled oil from its surface. Other times, they want to purify oil-based fuel, by removing water from it. An inexpensive new "smart" membrane created at Canada's University of British Columbia can switch between doing both.

Using waste products of the petroleum and refining industries, researchers have created an absorbent polymer that can quickly soak up crude oil and diesel from sea water.