Wood-based solar thermal devices, and methods for fabrication and use thereof

A method of removing crude oil from a body of water, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a carbonized block of natural or lignin-reduced wood having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and an internal fluidic transport network formed by lumen of the natural or lignin-reduced wood extending between the first and second surfaces, the carbonized block having a porosity greater than that of the natural or lignin-reduced wood, all internal and external surfaces of the carbonized block being carbonized so as to be hydrophobic;
• (b) placing the second surface of the carbonized block in contact with the crude oil in the body of water;
• and
• (c) exposing the first surface to insolation so as to heat the carbonized block,
• wherein, during (c), the carbonized block heats the crude oil contacting the second surface such that the crude oil has a mobility greater than that of the crude oil prior to (c), and
• the carbonized block adsorbs the heated crude oil into the lumen of the internal fluidic transport network via capillary action, while leaving behind the water due to the hydrophobic surfaces of the carbonized block, so as to remove the crude oil from the body of water.