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 polymer, then apply them to large-scale oil spills.

Concepts

polymers, oil spills, human impact on the environment, marine ecosystems, intermolecular forces, making observations

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Additional Tags

science

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Instructional Ideas

• Use the activity as a demonstration, then launch an inquiry project that has students evaluate the polymer as a solution to human impact on marine ecosystems
• Conduct a class discussion about the uses of the polymer on a large scale and examine its advantages and disadvantages
  

Classroom Considerations

• Discuss polymer chemistry before performing the experiment if learners are not familiar with the structure of polymers
  

Pros

• The activity has several applications, including to show the link between environmental science and engineering
• Teacher's guide contains a printable worksheet and student reference materials
  

Cons

• None