Scientists in Germany are exploring how aquatic plants can help clean up oil spills and there appears to be some potential in water plants.
The team of researchers, who published their findings in the journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, looked at a wide array of water plants. They found four species of aquatic ferns to efficiently absorb crude oil with their hairy leaves whilst repelling water.
"From our results we now know that the shape of the hair ends is important in supporting the oil/air interface to ensure maximum oil absorption and retention capabilities," said Claudia Zeiger, of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology's Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), in a statement.
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See video & read original article at source: Aquatic Ferns May Have Cleansing Properties To Absorb Oil
