Cleaning Oil Spills

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A device to clean up oil spills from the sea has been developed in South Korea. The new technology is expected to greatly help address marine pollution cases.

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Half a ton of oil was leaked from a ship into the rough sea. A propeller-like pump is employed to suck up the oil-polluted seawater. An oil retrieval device equipped with a special filter perfectly separates the oil from water. The device is based on the principle that the filter is coated with nanoparticles to make water pass through while retaining the oil.

[Soundbite] Prof. Goh Jong-soo(Pusan National University) : "The previous oil retrieval machine removes oil with discs. Our development is to simultaneously suck up water and oil and nearly perfectly separate them in real time."

The separated oil can be recycled without additional refinement. And the processed water can be discharged right back into the ocean. The technology was jointly developed by a Pusan National University research team and a local company, with the goal to enter overseas markets as well as the domestic market in which foreign products account for 95 percent in this sector.

[Soundbite] Park Kyung-taek(Executive, Oil Retrieval Device Developer) : "We are planning to participate in a marine and ship exhibition in Guangzhou. In March next year, we will participate in a fair held in Ho Chi Minh City."

The new development is expected to be a great help for South Korea, which sees about 200 oil spill accidents occur along its coastal areas each year.