Development of a Superhydrophobic Oleophilic Motorized Polypropylene Skimmer-Boom Collector Oil Tanker Attachment to Decrease Oil Spill Dispersion
School Name
Spring Valley High School
Grade Level
11th Grade
Presentation Topic
Environmental Science
Presentation Type
Non-Mentored
Abstract
Today, the impacts of oil spills have become more severe due to an increasing population that creates an increasing oil demand. Current oil spill recovery methods such as skimmers and oil booms only have a 10-30% recovery rate during a successful cleanup. Thus, there needs to be an improvement in current recovery methods because oil spills do occur and the recovery process needs to be perfected. The purpose of this research was to create a prototype device capable of collecting at least 25% of all oil during experimentation and combining modern recovery methods with oleophilic (oil-absorbent) material. The device was created by 3D printing a coil wrapped with polypropylene strips which act as an oleophilic substance with an additional layer of hydrophobic spray. The coil was attached to a ball and socket joint primarily controlled by a motor that moved the device left and right within a simulated saltwater environment and used engine oil to represent a spill. The results showed that the device was able to collect an average of 13.3 mL of oil, which is about 8.87% of all total oil. A Chi-Square goodness of fit test concluded that the null hypothesis was rejected since the ��2 value was 94.850, greater than the critical value of 16.919. The engineering goal was not met, but the device can be improved using a fourbar linkage would help improve the stability of the design since it uses two pivots and a bar instead of relying on supports.
Recommended Citation
Fuentes-Ortiz, Humberto, "Development of a Superhydrophobic Oleophilic Motorized Polypropylene Skimmer-Boom Collector Oil Tanker Attachment to Decrease Oil Spill Dispersion" (2024). South Carolina Junior Academy of Science. 492.
https://scholarexchange.furman.edu/scjas/2024/all/492
Location
RITA 152
Start Date
3-23-2024 10:45 AM
Presentation Format
Oral and Written
Group Project
No
Development of a Superhydrophobic Oleophilic Motorized Polypropylene Skimmer-Boom Collector Oil Tanker Attachment to Decrease Oil Spill Dispersion
RITA 152
Today, the impacts of oil spills have become more severe due to an increasing population that creates an increasing oil demand. Current oil spill recovery methods such as skimmers and oil booms only have a 10-30% recovery rate during a successful cleanup. Thus, there needs to be an improvement in current recovery methods because oil spills do occur and the recovery process needs to be perfected. The purpose of this research was to create a prototype device capable of collecting at least 25% of all oil during experimentation and combining modern recovery methods with oleophilic (oil-absorbent) material. The device was created by 3D printing a coil wrapped with polypropylene strips which act as an oleophilic substance with an additional layer of hydrophobic spray. The coil was attached to a ball and socket joint primarily controlled by a motor that moved the device left and right within a simulated saltwater environment and used engine oil to represent a spill. The results showed that the device was able to collect an average of 13.3 mL of oil, which is about 8.87% of all total oil. A Chi-Square goodness of fit test concluded that the null hypothesis was rejected since the ��2 value was 94.850, greater than the critical value of 16.919. The engineering goal was not met, but the device can be improved using a fourbar linkage would help improve the stability of the design since it uses two pivots and a bar instead of relying on supports.
