3D Printing as Feasible Platform for On-Site Building Oil-Skimmer for Oil Collection from Spills

Oil removal and collection from spills have been addressed by various techniques, but still remain a challenging topic for practical application because of high cost, low oil absorption capacity, and weak oil keeping stability. To address the challenge, an oil-skimmer composed of 3D printed mesh cap treated with low surface energy materials and commercial vessel has been developed. The good water repellency of the 3D printed mesh realizes high efficient floating oil removal by filtration while the bottom vessel achieves the oil collection by storing the oil directly. Importantly, the collected oil does not escape from the vessel under ambitious stirring or reversion, indicating the skimmer's high potential application under the sea waves or even storm conditions. Taking the advantages of 3D printing in computer-aid design and freeform fabrication, the feasible 3D printing oil-skimmer is believed to be highly promising for the practical oil collection from spills in an on-site design and fabrication manner.