The Need

Oil spills continue to pose significant threats to aquatic environments, public health, and economies worldwide. Existing sorbent technologies struggle to efficiently capture thin oil sheens and often lack buoyancy, limiting their effectiveness in real-world conditions. There is a critical need for cost-effective, environmentally friendly sorbents that can rapidly and reliably remove oil—including light sheens—from water surfaces, while remaining easy to deploy and recover.

The Technology

This technology, developed by OSU researchers, features strong, lightweight, self-supported mats made from electrospun cellulose acetate nanofibers. Engineered for high hydrophobicity and oleophilicity, these mats selectively absorb oil from water, including challenging thin sheens. The mats are produced via a scalable, high-throughput, needleless electrospinning process, resulting in consistent morphology and superior sorption capacity compared to commercial alternatives. The mats maintain buoyancy and structural integrity even after prolonged exposure.

Benefits/Advantages

• Absorbs significantly more oil per weight than leading commercial sorbents
• Remains buoyant and intact for extended periods, simplifying recovery
• Effectively captures thin oil sheens, addressing a major unmet need
• Made from bio-friendly materials, reducing environmental impact compared to synthetic sorbents