Soaking Up Sorbent Science: Weekly Science Activity

In this week's spotlight: a environmental engineering activity that encourages families to learn more about sorbents. A sorbent is a material used to absorb a liquid. In the case of an oil spill, cleaning up effectively and quickly is very important. But cleaning up oil from a waterway (and off of wildlife that come into contact with the spill) can be difficult. In this family science activity (or science fair project), students experiment with different sorbents to see which ones are most effective at cleaning up oil that has spilled in water.

• Goo-Be-Gone: Cleaning Up Oil Spills (full Science Buddies project idea)
• Sorbent Science: Cleaning Oil Spills (science activity at Scientific American)