Originally published on Tue October 18, 2011 11:01 pm
A breakthrough in oil cleanup technology allows crews to skim spilled oil off the water's surface at a much faster rate. The new device wasn't developed by Exxon, BP or any of the major oil companies — it's the work of Elastec/American Marine, based in Illinois. And the design won the company a rich award from the X Prize Foundation.
Oil is attracted to plastic. And water is not. That, in essence, is the basis of Elastec's new skimmer.
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