Overview
OILTRAP uses thermally expanded graphite (TEG) — a graphene-like nanocarbon sorbent — produced on site by a mobile unit, for rapid localization, collection, and recovery of oil and petroleum-product spills. The highly porous TEG has exceptional affinity for hydrocarbons: it is applied to the contaminated area, sorbs the oil immediately, is mechanically collected, and up to 90 % of the absorbed hydrocarbons are recovered by pressing. It works on water, ice, soil, asphalt, concrete, and mixed surfaces, including storms and subzero conditions.
Applications
Primary use cases: marine and coastal oil-spill response; spills on ice/soil/asphalt/concrete; emergency and industrial remediation.
Outputs/uses: recovered oil/petroleum (up to 90 %); dewatered carbon residue for thermal utilization; restored, film-free water surface.
Industries and users: ships/offshore platforms, ports, emergency responders, environmental agencies.
Scale: mobile on-site TEG production; ship/helicopter/hovercraft/vehicle deployable.
Operating Principle
A mobile unit produces TEG on site; the porous graphene-like sorbent is applied to the spill, sorbs the hydrocarbons immediately (it does not sink), is mechanically collected, and pressed to recover up to 90 % of the oil; residual sorbent is utilized by controlled combustion in thermal units. Restores gas exchange even before collection.
Limitations: sorbent collection logistics; residue thermal utilization; on-site production unit required.
Key Parameters
Sorption capacity: high, ranging roughly from 50 to over 140 kg of oil per kg of sorbent depending on the hydrocarbon type and viscosity (heavier crudes at the top of the range, lighter fuels such as gasoline at the lower end).
Surface removal: 100 % from water (no residual rainbow film). Recovery: up to 90 % by pressing. Chemically neutral ≥12 months; does not sink; operable in storms/rain/snow/subzero.
Mobile production: several hundred kilograms of sorbent per hour from the on-site unit; deployment/prep 3–5 minutes.
Architecture and Components
Mobile TEG production unit; application system; mechanical sorbent collection; pressing/recovery stage; thermal-utilization of residue; deployment platforms (ship/helicopter/hovercraft/vehicle). Rapid-response, mobile.
Advantages
Technical: very high sorption capacity vs conventional sorbents; 100 % surface removal; works in severe climates and on many surfaces; does not sink.
Economic: hydrocarbons recovered and reused (up to 90 %); low operating cost; no secondary pollution.
Environmental: immediate ecological effect — spill no longer a disaster once TEG is applied; restores water-air gas exchange.
Strategic: rapid (3–5 min) emergency response; mobile, on-site production.
Integrations
Deploys from ships, platforms, helicopters, hovercraft, and land vehicles; uses ARBOK TEG/graphene materials; pairs with marine cleanup (ARBOK CleanSea, ARBOK-BLACKSAND).
Deployment & Operation
Steps: deploy mobile TEG unit (3–5 min) → apply TEG to spill → mechanical collection → pressing/recovery → residue utilization. Rapid response, emergency-grade.
TRL
TRL 9 (confirmed by Michael). Pilot-tested and deployed; high-capacity recoverable TEG sorbent proven in operational spill response.
Market Potential
Oil-spill response is a large, regulated global market where conventional sorbents underperform (low capacity, sinking, poor recovery). A high-capacity, recoverable, all-weather sorbent fits offshore, port, and emergency-response demand.
Typical Project Economics
Value from recovered oil (up to 90 %) plus avoided spill penalties and cleanup cost; low OPEX, no secondary pollution. Mobile-unit CAPEX per response capacity; (per-deployment economics by spill size and oil type).
Risk Factors
Sorbent collection and residue-utilization logistics; on-site production scaling; emergency-response procurement cycles.
Related Technologies
AEROGRAPH (Graphene AeroGel) · ARBOK-BLACKSAND · ARBOK CleanSea · ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking)