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Texas Tech Researchers Find Low-Grade Cotton Absorbs Crude Oil Spills; Repels Water

May 17, 2013

BioNews Texas - The 2010 Deepwater Horizon undersea oil well blowout off the Louisiana coast that dumped oil into Gulf of Mexico waters for 87 days, releasing an estimated at 4.9 million barrels of crude — the largest accidental spill in oil industry history — underscored the need for better and more efficient means of oil cleanup. This week the The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) at Texas Tech University in Lubbock announced that research conducted at its Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory has discovered that low-grade cotton is highly effective at absorbing crude oil spills.

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TTU Reserach proves cotton useful as oil absorbents

May 17, 2013

Nonwovens Industry - When it comes to cleaning up the next massive crude oil spill, one of the best and most eco-friendly solutions for the job may be low-grade cotton from West Texas. Seshadri Ramkumar, lead author of the study and manager of the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH), says he and his colleagues found that low-micronaire cotton—one of the lowest-quality types of cotton – is most effective at picking up oil. A pound of the low-micronaire cotton can pick up more than 30 pounds of crude oil, and its natural waxiness helps to repel

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Low grade cotton for oil spills

May 17, 2013

Sustainable Nonwovens - In the latest development, however, research conducted at the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory at The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) shows that low-grade cotton is also highly effective at absorbing crude oil spills. The study, published in the most recent issue of the American Chemical Society journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, reveals that a pound of low-micronaire cotton can absorb more than 30 pounds of dense crude oil. In addition, the natural waxiness of raw, unprocessed cotton fibre keeps water out, making cotton an efficient and effective material for addressing ocean-based oil spills.

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News / Science & Technology Cotton May be Eco-Friendly Way to Clean Oil Spills

May 17, 2013

Voice of America - Nearly three years after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig spilled nearly 5 million barrels of crude into the Gulf of Mexico, oil is still being found on Gulf beaches and coastal marshes. Officials have used everything from straw, to wool, to feathers to try to soak it up. Now, scientists at Texas Tech University report that unprocessed raw cotton may provide the ideal clean-up solution for crude oil spills.

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