Force7 · High performance oil spill recovery system suitable to effectively operate in rough sea waters based on improved oleophilic/hydrophobic materials

Force 7 aims to develop an innovative oil spill recovery system for operation in rough sea conditions.The new system is based on the use of interconnected mops to create a large, wide mop net which will maximize the oil encounter rate on the surface of the sea whilst it is dragged to adsorb the slick. The system is extremely versatile because it only requires one vessel to operate and that can be any vessel of opportunity at the time of an emergency spill.The mops are made by novel fibres with controlled oleophylic and hydrophobic behaviour in order to absorb large quantities of oil and increase the recovery efficiency. Once the mops are saturated they are recovered onboard of the vessel and squeezed through a roller system: the oil collected is then stored and the mops are deployed again for another cycle. Traditional systems, in comparison, are characterised by lower performance in terms of oil recovery and cannot be used in harsh sea conditions, which are typically encountered in case of ship wreckage and often characterize the cold seas.Project objectives are related to the development of the oleophylic and hydrophobic fibre materials of the mop and the related treatments, the optimisation and production of the mops, and the development of the overall oil spill recovery system for field demonstration.Four SMEs constitute the core of the Project, representing the whole supply chain for the oil spill recovery end product. SMEs are supported by three RTDs providing the necessary experience in the field of technical textiles, engineering and oil spill responding services. SMEs will benefit 100% of project exploitable results, in a scheme that will provide full return of investment within 3 years by the end of the project.