Students from the Russian State University of Oil and Gas (National Research University named after I.M. Gubkin) have achieved new results in addressing oil pollution. The university's students have developed an adsorbent using waste paper that can be used to clean up oil spills in seawater.
The adsorbent can be applied in batches to up to four spill points on the water surface under sea conditions. It can absorb and bind petroleum products and push them to the surface for collection. It is also reusable, with a maximum of three reuses. Tests show that it can completely adsorb oil stains within a few minutes, maintain buoyancy for up to 72 hours, and has an adsorption capacity of 8–9 grams of hydrocarbons per gram of material. Due to its reusability, it is more cost-effective than common similar products.
One of the research authors and student from the Department of Industrial Ecology, Daniil Andrianov, stated that Russia produces approximately 7.5 million tons of waste paper annually, with a recycling rate of less than 55%. Developing adsorbents from paper is an urgent issue.
In addition, the marine adsorbent is part of a comprehensive technology to solve oil spill problems, which also includes solutions for terrestrial oil pollution. Preliminary field tests are currently underway. For terrestrial areas, the project team has developed a bio-oxidation technology that can improve the efficiency of existing industrial bacterial petroleum decomposers. This technology uses bacteria together with calcium peroxide, which serves as a source of free oxygen to provide nutrients for the petroleum decomposers, increasing their efficiency by 15–20% and making them more resistant to sudden temperature changes. Industrial Ecology student Vladislav Vishnevsky said that in addition to eliminating oil pollution, this technology can also help restore sensitive native biocenoses on disturbed land, because the free oxygen released by the decomposition of calcium peroxide can stimulate the activity of local soil microorganisms.
Danila Andrianov, Maxim Sidorenko, and Vladislav Vishnevsky from the Department of Industrial Ecology at Gubkin University have received funding from VTB Bank for additional testing of the technology for subsequent implementation. The Government of Kamchatka Krai and Rosneft have already expressed interest in the development project.
