| 摘要 |
Relatively thin flexible sheets of oleophilic, hydrophobic substrates, such as polyethylene film, are used as the basis for novel sorbent media in the defence against oil spills. Exhibiting the combination of a high storage density and a high affinity for oil, substrates according to the invention are intended for deployment on sensitive areas of open water or shoreline as a first line of defence against approaching oil slicks, or for early assistance in the containment of oil near the source of a spill. Efficiency and economy for specific application is achieved on the principle that oil pick-up per unit mass of film-form substrates is increased by decreasing the substrate thickness. A specific sorbent medium according to the invention comprises a pair of flexible films (28a, 28b) sealingly laminated together and presenting across at least one of the films a plurality of collapsible bubbles (29) having small apertures (25a, 25b) through opposite sides thereof, so that the collapsed bubbles yield and dilate upon entry of contaminating oil into the bubbles, thereby forming oil-containing pockets (23) with a substantial interior volume capacity for oil. The film of which sorbent media according to the invention are fabricated may advantageously incorporate oil-degrading additives. |
