PERSPECTIVES
Oily-water problem is a rising problem with the rapid industrial and economic growth. Oily wastes are one of the major pollutants in the aquatic environment and are causing serious problems. The conventional methods such as skimming, siphoning, or burning, can be costly, take several days, and have less efficiency. Human hair can be utilized to deal with the oily water problem using the adsorption process. The purpose of this study was to introduce a system that could efficiently purify oily water by separating oil from the water.
Human hair can be modified into hair boom or mats to treat oily water. Animal furs or feathers which have the same properties as hair can also be used in this oily water treatment process along with the hair. In this study, the methods, efficiency, and mechanics of using human hair to clean up oil-contaminated water were reviewed. It was proved that human hair can adsorb more than 5 times its weight of oil. This method was able to successfully separate oil from the water by adsorption in a rapid time frame.
This is how I came up with the idea for this project:Inspired by the previous idea of a hairdresser, Philip McCrory who thought of using human hair to clean up oil spills about 20 years ago, the whole idea was modified by calculating and proving its efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and how it is environmentally friendly than other conventional methods.
Programme manager ania.andersch@siwi.org +46 8 121 360 59
