Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, have developed a novel material capable of detecting the adulteration or contamination of kerosene in petrol, as well as cleaning up oil spills, according to officials.
The researchers stated that this same material also holds the potential to selectively absorb oil from water and solidify it. The findings of the research have been published in the prestigious journal, Chemical Engineering.
Gopal Das, a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at IIT Guwahati, highlighted that oil spills in oceans are among the most damaging environmental disasters globally, leading to the loss of marine life, coastlines, and the livelihoods dependent on them.
According to the 'Oil Tanker Spill Statistics 2024,' approximately 10,000 tons of oil spilled into the oceans and seas globally in 2024. Since oil spreads quickly and widely on water, cleanup is a challenging task. Traditional methods, such as chemical absorbents or burning the oil, often lead to secondary pollution.
Professor Das explained their solution:
"To address this challenge, we have developed a Phase-Selective Organogelator (PSOG) molecule, a special class of safe materials. The PSOG was rationally designed to undergo a hierarchical supramolecular self-assembly process which ultimately leads to oil gelation. It can trap oils such as kerosene and diesel through a self-assembly process, similar to how soap molecules organize themselves in water".
He continued:
"Once they trap the oil, they form semi-solid gels that can be easily removed without disturbing the water below. Our developed PSOG possesses a unique ability to selectively form a gel only in the presence of some specific oil samples, namely kerosene and diesel, among a vast range of studied organic solvents as well as oil samples".
Such a highly selective PSOG could also be useful for targeting specific oil samples within a complex mixture and facilitating their recovery from different water bodies.
Professor Das noted the broader implications:
"This work might give a new direction in the future development of PSOGs for water remediation as well as the detection of different fuel adulteration. Another potential use of the developed organogel is to detect the adulteration of kerosene".
He pointed out a serious issue in India:
"In India, especially among low-income groups, kerosene is sometimes adulterated with petrol to reduce the running cost of automobiles or household cooking. This is a dangerous combination, as the adulterated fuel is highly flammable and has caused multiple kerosene stove explosion accidents in the country".
As the next step, the research team aims to advance the research towards detecting various types of fuel adulteration. Additionally, the team is working on enhancing the efficiency of the detection process by refining the design and functionality of the gelator molecule.
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