Magnetic Soap

A better way to clean an oil spill?

Photo credit Red Orbit

Julian Eastoe at the University of Bristol in the UK has developed and demonstrated a way to magnetize soap. The use case he has in mind is to allow the detergents used in oil-spill cleanup to then be withdrawn from the water magnetically, finishing the clean up job. The idea seems to hold great promise, and the story is making the rounds in major news sources and science blogs.

In an interview on NPR, Ira Flatow asked Professor Eastoe whether the technique might also be used to help clean sea birds and other wildlife caught in oil spills. Eastoe said that he was interested in this possibility, too, and had been doing some preliminary experiments cleaning oil from the goose down found in feather pillows.


What do you think: could this be useful? Do you have a use in mind for Magnetic Soap? Post a comment here and let us know!


Links:

• http://www.npr.org/2012/01/27/145990087/magnetic-soap-may-help-clean-up-spilled-oil
• http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57365055-1/magnetic-soap-could-lift-oil-spill-woes/
• http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/01/27/magnetic-soap-could-suck-up-oil-spills?videoId=229240491
• http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112461249/scientists-announce-worlds-first-magnetic-soap/

Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, please +1 it and leave a comment. Share it on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook. More readers will drive more discussion.