Pumping with Modified Polyurethane Sponge: An Alternative Technology for Removing Oil Spills from Water Surface

Abstract We have prepared a super‐hydrophobic/super‐oleophilic modified sponge material (C‐PDMS‐PU) by attaching carbon powder and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to a sponge skeleton by a simple dip‐coating method using a low‐cost polyurethane sponge as the raw material. The material has a C‐PDMS composite hydrophobic coating, which can efficiently and selectively absorb oil slicks on the water surface or organic solvents underwater that are 21–26 times its weight. Relying on this adsorbent, we have built an oil collection device that can in‐situ absorb/desorb oil with a dynamic viscosity ranging from 0 CP to 172 CP on the water surface or underwater. This oil collection device is small, simple to operate, and portable, thus freeing the adsorbent from the limits of adsorption capacity while continuously and efficiently recovering the oil from the sea surface, hence achieving the integration of adsorption and separation. This new adsorbent and the oil collection device have promising applications in emergencies, such as organic solvent spills, tanker spills, and oil spills from offshore rigs.