Can Natural Products Pick Up Oil as Effectively as Polypropylene?
Researched by Arianne J. 2001-02	PURPOSE  HYPOTHESIS  EXPERIMENT DESIGN  MATERIALS  PROCEDURES  RESULTS  CONCLUSION  RESEARCH REPORT  BIBLIOGRAPHY  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether natural products could pick up spilled oil better than consumer products.

I became interested in this idea when I found out how many wildlife animals got hurt when oil spills occurred. Also when I heard on the news that hair could pick up oil.

The information gained from this experiment may be used by the government and many industries so they can have a safer and more effective way to pick up oil spills. 

My hypothesis was that natural products would pick up oil just as well as consumer products.

I based my hypothesis on data collected from the news, magazines, and books that indicated a better, faster, and safer way to pick up oil.

The constants in this study were: the amount of water and oil used, the temperature, and the test procedure.

The manipulated variable was the absorption products used.

The responding variable was how much oil and water that was picked up with the products. 

To measure the responding variable I measured the volume of water or oil at the start and the volume after absorption. I subtracted that volume from the starting volume to see how much was absorbed.

4	10’ by 16’ tubs
8	motor oil
1500 ml	tap water
51.6 g	polypropylene pads (consumer products)
51.6 g	lama fleece
51.6 g	sawdust
1	250 ml beaker
1	500 ml beaker

1. First step weigh 3 polypropolene  pads to be 17.2 g each
2. Next step weigh 3 lama fleece portions to be 17.2 g each
3. Next weigh 3  sawdust portions to be 17.2 g each
4. Next measure 250 ml of water and pour it into tub
5. Let one propylene portion sit in tub of water for 5 min.
6. Pour water left over into 250 ml beaker to measure how much was taken up by absorbent
7. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 with absorbent as lama fleece
8. Repeat steps 4, 5 and 6 again with absorbent as sawdust
9. Measure 250 ml of oil and pour it into tub
10. Place propylene portion in oil and let sit for 5 min.
11. Pour remaining oil into beaker to measure how much oil was left
12. Repeat steps 9, 10, and 11 with absorbent as lama fleece
13. Repeat steps 9, 10, and 11 with  absorbent as sawdust
14. Measure 250 ml of oil and 250 ml of water and pour both into tub
15. Place propylene portion into tub and let sit for 5 min.
16. Pour remaining oil and water into beaker
17. Let sit for five minutes and record  data
18. Repeat steps 14, 15, 16, and 17 with absorbent as llama fleece
19. Repeat steps 14, 15, 16, and 17 with absorbent as sawdust

The original purpose of this experiment was to determine whether natural product such as llama fleece and sawdust can pick up oil better than or just as well as consumer products. 

The results of the experiment were that the natural products overall did not pick up oil as well as the consumer product. 
 

View My Data and Graphs

My hypothesis was that the llama fleece and sawdust would pick up oil just as well as consumer products.

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected. 

Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if there would be any other natural products that would pick up oil like the polypropylene product? 

If I were to conduct this project again I would have found another control product to hold the natural products. This may change the amount of oil picked up by the natural products during the experiment. Another would be to pick more natural products to test and to have more trials to make the experiment  more consistant.
 
 
 

Research Report Introduction Each year 14,000 oil spills are reported involving 200,000 metric tons of oil. Between 1967 and 1989, the fifteen largest oil spills in the world spilled more than fourteen million barrels of oil onto the oceans and land. Although not many people are killed in oil spills, these disasters damage ocean enviorments " forever", and kill millions of animals. In 1988 there was only one area of U.S. water that had not been touched by oil. This area was the water of Prince William Sound, Alaska. The Exxon Valdez oil tanker released 35,000 tons of toxic oil off the coast of Alaska. Although attempts were made to clean up the oil,thousands of seabirds and many other animals were killed by this environmental disaster.  Wildlife No one knows how many animals died from the Exxon Valdez. More than 33,000  birds, 1,000  otters, and 150 bald eagles have been found dead.Even though the oil was spilled in the water, bears, deer, wolves, and foxes were affected as well. Though many were found dead about 230 otters and almost a thousand birds were rescued, cleaned, and sent back.  Oil Petroleum has a greater variety of uses than probably any other substance in the world. The reason petroleum has so many uses lies in its complicated molecular structure. Crude oil is mostly a mixture of many different hydrocarbons, which are molecules made up of the elements hydrogen and carbon. Some of the carbons are gases and some are solids, but most of the hydrocarbons form a liquid. The mixtures of different hydrocarbons give special characteristics to the parts of petroleum. Some parts, like gasoline and kerosene, are valuable in their natural liquid state. Others must be moved from one state to another or combined with different substances before they can be used. Various types of crude oil contain different amounts of certain parts. Light crudes have large amounts of dissolved gasses, gasoline and other light fractions. Most heavy crudes have a high fraction of heavy oils and asphalt. All crude oil contains other substances in addition to th €e hydrocarbons. These impurities, which include metallic compounds and sulfur, may make up as much as 10 percent of some types of oil.  Crude oil ranges in color from clear to green, amber, brow, or black. It may flow like water or creep like molasses. The oil that is used today is made from the remains of microscopic animals and plants- zooplankton and phytoplankton- that floated on the surface of lakes and seas a million years ago. Oil is the source of 38 percent of Americas total energy, including 97 percent of our transportation fuels. Crude oil or petroleum is one of the most valuable natural resources in the world, some even call it black gold. Fuels made from petroleum provide power for cars, plains, trains, tractors, and ships. Petroleum fuels also generate heat and electricity for homes and businesses. Petroleum products provide drugs, plastic, computers, cell phones, p Ãagers, and fax machines. Oil Cleanup A number of advanced response techniques are available for controlling and minimizing the affect of oil spills on human and environmental health. The key to safely and affectively picking up spills is careful selection and proper use of the equipment and material that are suited for the type of oil and conditions of the spill. There are about four methods that you could choose from so that the oil is picked up in the best manor.  Mechanical containment or recovery is the primary line of defense against oil spills in the U.S.. Containment and recovery equipment includes booms, barriers, and skimmers as well as natural and synthetic absorbent materials.Mechanical containment is used to trap and store the spilled oil until it can be disposed of properly. Chemical and Biological methods can be used with mechanical means for containing and cleaning up oil spills. Dispersants and gelling agents are useful in helping to keep oil from reaching shorelines and other sensitive habitats. Physical methods are used to clean up shorelines. Natural processes such as evaporation, oxidation, and biodegradation can start the cleanup process, but are normally too slow to provide good environmental recovery. Physical methods such as wiping with absorbent materials, pressure washing, and raking and bulldozing can be used to help the natural processes. Scare tactics are used to protect birds and animals by keeping them away from the spill area. Devices such as propane scare-cans, floating dummies, and helium-filled balloons are often used, particularly to keep away birds.  Polypropylene Polypropylene is one product that is used to pick up oil. Polypropylene is a melt blown absorbent that only absorbs hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic. Hydrophobic means that it doesn't pick up water. Most oil absorbents that are made now are made with polypropylene.

BIBLIOGRAPHY American Petroleum Institute. "Oil Spills, All About Oil." 11-14-2001 http://www.api.org/oilspills/facts.htm American Petroleum Institute. "Oil Spills, Dealing with Spills." 11-14-2001 http://www.api.org/oilspills/dealing.htm American Petroleum Institute. "Oil Spills, Preventing Spills." 11-14-2001 http://www.api.org/oilspills/prevent.htm American Petroleum Institute. "Oil Spills, Prevention and Response." 11-14-2001 Bill, Spill 911, Telephone interview. October 5, 2001 Gadwood, Robert C. "Hydrocarbons." The World Book Encyclopedia 1999 Laudon, Robert C. "Petroleum."  The World Book Encyclopedia.  1999 Phillips, Anne W. The Ocean. Macmillan Publishing Company1990 30-35  Talen, Maria.  Ocean Pollution Lucent Books, 1991 59-66

This science project could not have been completed without the help and assistance of the following people. I would like to thank each of them for their help.

* My mother found me a workplace where I could complete my experiment, helped me think of my project idea, and helped me pick up my materials.
* Mr. Newkirk and Mrs. Helms for helping me stay focused, for reading my rough draft and critiquing them, and for helping me include everything to make it look great.
* Bill from Spill 911, for telling me about oil and oil absorbents.

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