Reusable Magnetic Nanocomposite Sponges for Removing Oil from Water Discharges.

Vessels produce oily wastewater during evolutions including engine room operations and maintenance, cargo operations, deck machinery operations, washdown, and runoff. Currently, technologies require effluent be gathered in a central tank for treatment or managed through best management practices. Technologies to remove oil include gravity separation, filtration, absorption, coalescing, centrifuging, and flocculation. The majority of the technologies require periodic replacement of treatment materials associated with oil removal. These technologies may lose efficiency due to vessel motion. In this article we introduce a simple, efficient, eco-friendly procedure using readily available materials and equipment for fabricating highperformance magnetic polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) nanocomposite sponges for oil-water separation. The magnetic sponges are resistant to corrosive chemicals, exhibit high sorption capacities for oils and cleaning agents, and selective sorption for oil from oil-water emulsions. The sponges can be reused multiple times with no signs of deterioration. They are magnetically controllable and will hold position when magnetized, allowing for separations not compromised by vessel motion. The magnetic PDMS nanocomposite sponge(s) provide a promising technology for removing oil from vessel water discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]