Royal Society of Chemistry
The Treatment of Oil Spills—Microscale Chemistry
When oil spills happen, how is the oil cleaned up? Pupils of polymer science discover an amazing substance that turns oil into a solid during a microscale experiment. Individuals observe oil or paraffin before and after addition of the...
DiscoverE
Water Pollution Cleanup
How do scientists determine the best method for removing pollutants from our water sources? Environmental scholars experiment with pollution clean-up options to discover which are the most cost-effective, fastest, and most thorough....
Teach Engineering
Aerogels in Action
Model an oil spill cleanup. An engaging engineering lesson has groups using aerogels to simulate an oil spill cleanup (vegetable oil in water). Along the way, they learn about nanotechnology and hydrophilia/hydrophobia.
Teach Engineering
Messin' with Mixtures
Do you separate your trail mix before eating it? Then you've been separating mixtures your whole life! Scholars model a contaminated soil sample using trail mix and estimate the percentage of each component. They consider how to clean up...
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 2
Groups suspend objects within layers of liquids to determine the densities of different liquids and compare them to the densities of objects calculated in Part 1. The groups then carefully test their calculations by layering the...
Teach Engineering
Density Column Lab - Part 1
Mass and density — aren't they the same thing? This activity has groups use balance beams and water displacement to measure several objects. The pupils use the measurements to calculate the density of the objects.
Teach Engineering
Catching the Perfect SAR Waves!
Zero in on an interesting resource involving radar technology. Groups construct a radar sensing unit and learn to calibrate the system. Using the radar system and the Pythagorean Theorem, they calculate distances between objects.
Science Buddies
Science Buddies: Goo Be Gone: Cleaning Up Oil Spills
Oil spills devastate wildlife and our precious water resources. Test the absorptivity of different materials (sorbents) to discover which ones are best at removing oil from water in this brief lab.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Oil Spill Cleanup
This hands-on experiment will provide students with an understanding of the issues that surround environmental cleanup. Students will create their own oil spill, try different methods for cleaning it up, and then discuss the merits of...
National Geographic
National Geographic: Simulate an Oil Spill Cleanup
After researching the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, students do an experiment where they simulate an oil spill. They then simulate a cleanup using dispersant, and observe what happens before and after the...
Other
Australian Maritime Safety Authority: Experiment to Clean Up an Oil Spill
For this activity, students conduct an experiment to investigate how difficult it is to clean up an oil spill. There is a comprehensive list of observation questions for students to respond to.
Science Daily
Science Daily: Caution Required for Gulf Oil Spill Clean Up
A bioremediation expert cautions against the concentration of detergents and other chemicals used to clean up oil spills. The clean-up can be a nightmare of its own when toxic agents are used.
Other
Cynthia Cudaback: Self Contained Gulf Oil Spill Kit [Pdf]
Here is a kit that you can create to help understand the impact of an oil spill and the logistics of the clean-up effort. Unfortunately, real-life oil spills are not quite as easy to clean up.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Oil on the Ocean
Students learn about oil spills and their environmental and economic effects. They experience the steps of the engineering design process as they brainstorm potential methods for oil spill clean-up, and then design, build, and re-design...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Sugar Spill!
In this activity, students act as environmental engineers involved with the clean up of a toxic spill. Using bioremediation as the process, students select which bacteria they will use to eat up the pollutant spilled. Students learn how...