Scientists from the Federal Research Center for Problems of Chemical Physics and Medical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences have patented a new composite aerogel based on graphene and polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon).
The development can be used in the elimination of oil and petroleum product spills, including in the Arctic.
The material is able to absorb oil and petroleum products (oil, gasoline, kerosene, fuel oil) without absorbing water and remaining on the surface of the water for a long time.
The fight against oil and petroleum product spills is one of the most popular areas of research by Russian scientists. Earlier, specialists from the Troitsk Institute of Innovative and Thermonuclear Research, part of the Rosatom state Corporation, proposed using a mobile laser complex for this purpose, which is capable of "burning out" an oil slick on the surface of water from a distance of 300 meters.
The new method was tested in the autumn of 2023 during an experiment in the waters of the Sea of Okhotsk off the coast of Sakhalin Island, pro-arctic.ru reports.
Alex Shishlo for Rough&Polished
