Researchers at the University of Technology Sydney found that mats made from dog fur collected from groomers and human hair collected from salons were better at cleaning up crude oil spills. Currently non-biodegradable plastic waste is used as well as loose peat moss are used but hair works better is less harmful to the environment. The researchers recommend that peat moss should not be used anymore since it is a limited resource. Peat is not useful on sandy soils such as beaches but polypropylene sorbents are the best substance for sandy environments. For all hard land surfaces mats of hair and fur work the best.

This is a fantastic use of material that would otherwise be discarded.

Journal Reference:

1. Megan L. Murray, Soeren M. Poulsen, Brad R. Murray. Decontaminating Terrestrial Oil Spills: A Comparative Assessment of Dog Fur, Human Hair, Peat Moss and Polypropylene Sorbents. Environments, 2020; 7 (7): 52 DOI: 10.3390/environments7070052
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Cite This Page:

University of Technology Sydney. “Oil spill clean-up gets doggone hairy: First comparison of natural-origin sorbent materials for land-based oil spills.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 15 July 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200710100938.htm>.