The search for ever-better materials to soak up oil from water has recently added a new member to this highly specialized and highly sough-after family: Chinese scientists have invented a honeycomb-style polypropylene material that can soak up oil from water more cheaply and efficiently than some popular established methods, and do it in an environmentally friendly way. The material, according to a press release , is essentially foam with a rough surface and a tubular structure modeled on honeycombs. This structure allows water to flow freely through the tubes while oil gets caught and absorbed in seconds. While we don’t see many oil spills of Deepwater Horizon proportions on a regular basis, the problem of oil-contaminated water is a serious one simply because, as the Chinese scientists note in their research, oil and oil derivatives are used in so many industrial activities that also involve water at some point […]