Exploring Nanotechnology as a source for removal & encapsulation of

Spilled Oil.

Oil Spill is one of the most devastating hazards in the oil industry in both economical &
environmental sense. The term is usually applied to marine oil spills where oil is released into
the ocean or coastal waters, but spills may also occur on land. This is due to release of crude
oil from tankers, offshore platforms, etc. The conventional techniques such as

 use of microorganisms to digest the oil

 mechanical means like pumps, mechanical separators
 sorbents to remove oil from water through adsorption or absorption
 use of chemical dispersants like detergents.

generally used are not adequate to solve problems of massive oil spills (eg;Gulf of Mexico
Oil Spill).

In recent years nanotechnology has emerged as a potential source of novel solutions to many
of the world's engineering problems. Nanotechnology is the understanding and control of
matter at dimensions between approximately 1 and 100 nanometers or nanoscale.

This paper describes the various materials & methods that can efficiently be used in oil spill
cleanup from water and the performance criteria, environmental factors & engineering
aspects associated with these methods for its commercial viability.

The methods discussed in this paper are:

 Nano Dispersants
 Hydrophobic Organoclays
 Nanowire Membranes
 carbon nanotubes

Along with these methods here we will discuss materials such as aerogels, aeroclays,
Organo-clays with Magnetic Nanoparticles and some other nanoparticles involved in removal
& reuse of the spilled oil.

Although the application of nanotechnology for oil spill cleanup is still in its nascent stage, it
is quite evident from the positive results shown by these methods that nanomaterials have
enormous potential to provide innovative solutions for oil spill cleanup by virtue of their
unique structure, superior properties and outstanding performance.