Magnetic colloid petroleum oil spill clean-up of ocean surface, depth, and shore regions

Abstract

Method for oil removal. The method includes adding a magnetizable material, with or without appropriately selected surfactants, of order micron (having no net magnetization) or nanometer size to magnetize the oil or water phase by either making a ferrofluid, magnetorheological fluid, a magnetic Pickering emulsion (oil in water or water in oil emulsion), or any other process to magnetize either oil or water phases. The magnetized fluid is separated from the non-magnetic phase using novel or existing magnetic separation techniques or by permanent magnets or electromagnets thereby separating oil and water phases. The magnetized particles are separated from the magnetized phase using novel or existing magnetic separation techniques to recover and reuse the particles. The two magnetic separation steps can be repeated to further increase recovery efficiency of the liquid phases and the magnetizable particles reused in this continuous process.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.