Researchers at the T. Gorbachyov Kuzbass State Technical University (KuzTU) in Siberia have come up with new sorbents to remove oil spills from rivers, lakes and seas both in the temperate and Arctic climates. In their experiments, industrial waste was used as raw material for such sorbents.

At the core of it is a magnetite nucleus that helps attract oil film from a water reservoir and control it for efficient spill riddance.

The oil-drawing technology feeds on simple waste that comes in plenty from coal mines (numerous in the region), cattle farms, timber companies, or sewage treatment facilities.

The Kuzbass sorbents were believed to work fine at very low temperatures, facing strong winds, and even in under-ice conditions.