Media Advisory 11-001
NSF Webcast: Water and Oil Everywhere, and Now it's Safe to Drink

Developer demonstrates oil filtration technology tested in 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill

Clean water being passed over a vibratory separator after treatment with Osorb®. Credit and Larger Version

January 14, 2011

Building upon research conducted during the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, engineers have incorporated a swellable nano-structured glass called Osorb^® into a system for extracting pollutants like dissolved petroleum from water--and collecting the petroleum for later use.

During a webcast from the National Science Foundation, developer Paul Edmiston of the College of Wooster will demonstrate the new application for the Osorb^® technology and discuss how it is being evaluated in the petroleum industry.

As part of the media briefing, Edmiston will conduct demonstrations to show how the material expands to eight times its original volume in the presence of hydrocarbons--expanding with a force that could lift 20,000 times its original weight--and filter a gasoline-tainted sample of drinking water for consumption. Questions before and during the webcast can be directed to webcast@nsf.gov. See a video showcasing Osorb^® research on The College of Wooster's YouTube channel.

To register for the event and obtain the user name and password for the webcast, journalists can contact NSF media officer Josh Chamot at jchamot@nsf.gov or (703) 292-7730. Username and password are required for access. Questions before and during the webcast can be directed to webcast@nsf.gov.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Joshua A. Chamot, NSF (703) 292-7730 jchamot@nsf.gov
John Hopkins, The College of Wooster (330) 263-2082 jhopkins@wooster.edu

Program Contacts
Benaiah Schrag, NSF (703) 292-8323 bschrag@nsf.gov

Principal Investigators
Paul Edmiston, The College of Wooster / ABSMaterials Inc. (330) 234 7999 p.edmiston@absmaterials.com

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering. In fiscal year (FY) 2012, its budget was $7.0 billion. NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and other institutions. Each year, NSF receives about 50,000 competitive requests for funding, and makes about 11,500 new funding awards. NSF also awards about $593 million in professional and service contracts yearly.

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