Science

Pages

Around the Nation
11:07 am
Wed October 19, 2011

Revolutionary oil skimmer nets $1 million X Prize

Next imagePrevious image
Credit Elastec/American Marine

In a large tank set up to test oil-skimming devices, rows of spinning plastic disks separate oil from water.

Credit Elastec/American Marine

In the winning oil-removal design, spinning grooved discs pull oily water upward, where metal skimmers strain the oil away.

Share
E-mail
Comments
By and Jacob McCleland

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.

Read more
Health - secondhand smoke
5:32 pm
Tue October 18, 2011

In Missouri, rural male workers at highest risk from secondhand smoke

Credit (via Flickr/Drongowski)
Share
E-mail
Comments
By

A higher percentage of Missouri's workers are exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke than in any other state.

A 2007 telephone survey funded by the Missouri Foundation for Health looked at the tobacco use, health, and demographics of close to 24,000 indoor Missouri workers.  About 12 percent were exposed to secondhand smoke, compared to about 7 percent of workers nationwide.

Read more

Pages