Effective Cleaning of the Mexican Gulf Oil Spill by Ceramic Nano -catalysts

1. Effective Cleaning of the Mexican Gulf Oil Spill by Ceramic Nano-catalysts PelagiaGouma, SUNY at Stony Brook, DMR 1046599 Researchers at Stony Brook of NY have synthesized novel self-supported 3D ceramic nano-catalysts (nanogrids) for the decomposition of oil in water using solar energy. Oil constituents can be carcinogenic and do not decompose (biodegrade) on their own. The ceramic nanogrids will be used for the fast and efficient remediation of medium crude oil in salt water, as is the case for the oil spill in the Mexican Gulf that is dangerous to polluting the shoreline. The oil will break down to carbon dioxide, water, and water-soluble organics because of the interaction of the nanogrids with the sunlight. These ceramic nanogrids are prepared by the synergy two processes: a) the electrostatic spinning of non-woven mats of polymer fibers on metal foils; and b) a heat-treatment allowing the metal to diffuse into the polymer fibers taking on their shape, and to further oxidize forming the nanogrid structure. Sunlight will activate the nanogrids to catalyze the breaking down of oil constituents, such as benzene, to environmentally benign chemicals, thus facilitating economic, fast, and effective water remediation. Publication: J. Lee and P.I. Gouma, “Tailored 3D CuONanogrid Formation”, Journal of Nanomaterials, Volume 2011 (2011), Article ID 863631 Ceramics clean oil spill at shoreline