A review on sorbent devices for oil-spill control.

Multiple research areas have emerged in view of the deleterious impacts of oil-spills on the environment and the relative intractability of the problem per se. The dimensions mostly explored thus far, relate to the prediction of the fate of oil-spill and development of effective counter-measures. Among the counter measures, development of effective sorbents for oil-spill remediation has sustained interest for quite long, in spite of the numerous challenges associated with it. Most importantly, the sorbent materials need to be assembled in such a structure or form that they can survive the oceanic currents and other prevailing environmental conditions without themselves becoming a source of secondary pollution. This review paper focuses on the chronological development of such assemblies or devices over the past century and a critical appraisal of the same. Relevant major factors affecting the performance of sorbent assemblies can be identified as: structural features and modes of sorption, effect of weathering on oil-sorption capacity, mode of distribution and harvesting of such absorbent units, and the final disposal after feasible cycles of sorption and release. This review paper incorporates a detailed discussion on the major inventions and the extant open literature in this field.