Hairy Sponges Clean up Oil

Seeing a disastrous oil spill on the news in 1989, barber Phillip McCrory got a great idea. McCrory saw an otter soaked in oil after a huge oil tanker sprang a leak in Alaska. He thought: If oil clings to fur, maybe human hair could be used to clean up oil spills.

McCrory tested his hypothesis (educated guess) using a wading pool filled with water and dirty motor oil. He stuffed pantyhose with hair clippings from his salon, then dropped this "hair sponge" into the pool. Within minutes the water was clear!

McRory called some scientists. They liked his idea enough to test it. Their tests proved that hair does soak up lots of oil quickly. Why? Hair picks up gobs of oil because thin, bumpy strands of hair have plenty of surface area (size of outer surface) for oil to cling to. And hair works fast because oil and hair both repel (push away) water. That makes hair and oil "grab" onto each other.

Hair sponges could be cheaper and safer for the environment than the plastic sponges people use now. McCrory is looking for salons that will donate hair clippings. If your hairdresser wants to be part of the project, ask him or her to write to McCrory at: 217 Knox Creek Trail Madison AL 35758.

Source: Scholastic SuperScience