This technology is a method for manufacturing an exothermic absorbent pad by soaking the pad in a mixture of distilled water and calcium carbonate, then adding hydrochloric acid to generate calcium chloride directly inside the pad. When the resulting pad comes into contact with water, the calcium chloride reacts to generate heat.
Using absorbent pads is the most common method for cleaning up oil spills in oceans and rivers. However, low-sulfur fuel oil, which has seen increased use due to International Maritime Organization regulations, has a high pour point of 20°C, causing it to solidify and drastically reduce the efficiency of absorbent pads when water temperatures drop below this level. Since the average winter seawater temperature in Korea is about 10°C, absorbent pads often fail to function effectively during winter spills.
This technology involves mixing calcium carbonate and distilled water in a 1:1 weight ratio, soaking the absorbent pad while stirring to ensure even distribution of calcium carbonate, adding hydrochloric acid at twice the weight of the calcium carbonate to trigger a reaction, and then drying and sealing the product. Because the calcium chloride is generated within the fibers rather than being coated on the surface, the components are distributed uniformly. This can be applied to low-sulfur oil spill response in winter, oil recovery in cold rivers near ports and refineries, and emergency spill kits for ship engine rooms, allowing the pad to warm the surrounding oil in cold water, restore its flow, and maintain absorption capacity.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education's Capstone Design program.
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