Researchers developed a new sponge-like structure from graphene that has very good absorbance properties - especially useful to remove petroleum products (including kerosene, pump oil, fats, and organic solvents) from seawater. The sponge absorbed up to 86 times its weight (!) - which is higher than all common absorbents.
Using simple heating causes the absorbed hydrocarbons to be recovered (with a 99% yield) - which means that you can reuse the sponge up to 10 times.
The graphene sponge was fabricated by reducing graphene oxide and then applying a hydrothermal molding procedure in order to achieve a morphology with a high surface area.
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Posted: Aug 14,2012 by Ron Mertens
