Out of concern for the oil, BP disaster in the Gulf, I have continued my experiment, using sawdust to extract oil from water. The first post was Oil and Water Do Mix. Today's physical properties experiment goes to the kitchen where I had a clear Guinness glass of pure well water, some motor oil, and wood dust gathered from my orbital sander.
I had previously observed that sawdust was an excellent material for absorbing oil. Ask any mechanic. I had also written a short article for Fine Woodworking describing the use of sawdust as a hand cleaner. As a lover of all things related to the kitchen I had observed the surface tension of water and how flour sifted into a bowl will rest on top until fully saturated with liquid. So what happens when you take a clear glass of water, pour in some oil, then sift in some sawdust? Rather than attempt to post the photos here, I have them in my blog where you can see the full experiment start to finish.
It seems that the petroleum industry wants to hide its problems rather than confront and clean up. For instance, you can add dispersants to make the problem less obvious while doing who knows what other kinds of harm to the environment. You can burn the oil, as they have attempted to do, thus adding to global warming and air pollution. You can put out pretty (in some minds) orange booms to make the public think you are doing everything you possibly can...
Did you know that you can get a degree in financial engineering, become head of a multi-national corporation, and know less about the physical properties of materials than someone in a kitchen or wood shop? Please forgive my sarcasm, but the idiocy in the corporate world is often astounding.
Go to my blog, Wisdom of the Hands to see the full experiment, showing how you can remove oil from water and limit its dispersal using sawdust and a teaspoon.