Oil and water don't mix. Despite that age-old axiom, it sure is hard to get (spilled) petroleum out of seawater, as was evident during BP's blowout in the Gulf of Mexico. But what if you could make oil (magnetic)?
That thought came to physicist Arden Warner while he watched (coverage) of the spill back in 2010. And it launched some garage tinkering for Warner, who by day works on improving particle accelerators at Fermilab. You can find more 60-Second Science on chinavoa.com.
He shaved iron bits from a shovel and sprinkled them atop some (engine) oil. Lo and behold, a refrigerator magnet pulled the blob of oil wherever he wanted. Now he's got a patent on the concept that he’s refined over the past few years.
The Warner method requires only a (relatively) small amount of magnetic metal dust. And the iron particles mix better with oil than with water, or with anything else the oil might get on, like bird feathers or plants.
Another plus: once the oil is collected, the filings can be dried off and (reused). And iron is more environmentally friendly than the chemicals currently used to disperse oil. So maybe next time there's an oil spill—and there will be a next time—we can clean up the mess with magnets.
