https://phys.org/news/2018-10-wood-sponge-oil.html

The team made the wood sponge by treating natural balsa wood with chemicals that removed lignin and hemicellulose, leaving behind a cellulose skeleton. They then modified this highly porous structure with a hydrophobic coating that attracted oil, but not water. When placed in a mixture of water and silicone oil, the wood sponge removed all of the red-dyed oil, leaving clean water behind. Depending on the oil tested, the sponge absorbed 16 to 41 times its own weight, which is comparable to or better than many other reported absorbents. In addition, the sponge could endure at least 10 cycles of absorption and squeezing. The researchers incorporated the wood sponge into an oil-collecting device in the lab that continuously separated oils from the water surface.

         
       
     
      
                                                            
                                    
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