Science Nation: Osorb--Absorbent Nanomaterial Cleans Up Toxic Water
Chemist Paul Edmiston’s search for a new way to detect explosives at airports led to the creation Osorb. A swellable, organically-modified silica, or glass, capable of absorbing oil and other contaminants from water. Osorb has become the principal product of a company called ABSMaterials, where Edmiston is now chief scientist. With support from the National Science Foundation, Edmiston and his colleagues at ABSMaterials are developing water remediation technologies for cities and industries. ABSMaterials is creating formulas to address various contaminants, including hydrocarbons, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, herbicides, chlorinated solvents, and endocrine disruptors. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Media Details
Runtime: 2 minutes 26 seconds
- Topic: Science
- Subtopic: Conservation, Ecology, Science Experiments
- Grade/Interest Level: 9 - 12
- Standards:
- Release Year: 2009
- Producer/Distributor: National Science Foundation
- Series: Science Nation
- Report a Problem
Related Media
![Computer screens with color-shaded images of a spiral shaped storm. Caption: study hurricanes, tornadoes, and blizzards from the inside.](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9038_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Doppler on Wheels--The Biggest 'Dish' on the Road
![Person filling a glass from a faucet. Caption: our risk of contracting some form of cancer would go up.](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9039_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Testing the Waters--1,4-Dioxane in North Carolina's Cape Fear River Basin
![Green landscape with a hillside in the background. A small industrial installation is present. Caption: They don't know where to get information they can trust.](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9040_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Hydraulic Fracturing--Using Scientific Methods to Evaluate Trade-Offs
![Robotic arms manipulating a small ball. Caption: is pushing the world of robotics and prosthetics](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9041_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Giving Robots and Prostheses the Human Touch
![Bolt of lightning arcing from cloud to ground. Caption: we all want up-to-the-minute information.](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9042_1.jpg)
Science Nation: CASA Radar Tracks Tornadoes
![Cluster of nerve fibers. Caption: that can image deep into biological tissue,](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9043_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Biophotonics Poised to Make Major Breakthroughs in Medicine
![Dirty water with bubbles and PVC pipes. Caption: and reused again and again in a sustainable loop.](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9044_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Off the Water Grid--Energy Efficient and Sustainable
![Person with a fabric cap strapped to their head. The cap has metal rivets and wires attached. Captions: (female) it feels maybe like a mild itchy or tingling sensation.](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9045_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Could a "Thinking Cap" Help Us Learn?
![Microscopic image showing web-like structures and C shaped tubular organisms. Caption: (narrator) The soil itself is home to a vast number of tiny microbes,](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9046_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Arctic Soils Key to Future Climate
![White glowing orb against a black grid. Caption: Weakly Interacting Massive Particle](https://org-dcmp-staticassets.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/posterimages/9047_1.jpg)
Science Nation: Hunting for the WIMPS of the Universe