Cousin Of SpongeBob May Help Control Oil Spills [Video]

Who would have ever thought something as simple as a sponge would spawn one of the biggest children's shows in recent history. Who ever would think that something as simple as a sponge might be the biggest breakthrough in controlling environmental oil spills?

Here in the Gulf South we know all to well the effects of what happens when things go wrong offshore. The Deep Water Horizon incident of more than two years ago is still very fresh in our minds. We are still learning what the long term effects of that spill will have on our coastal ecosystems and economy.

Now comes word from Rice University in Houston of an amazingly simple idea. Why not soak up spilled oil using a sponge? This isn't just any sponge, this sponge not only floats on the water and can be controlled by magnets. This sponge allows companies to recycle and reuse the spilled oil. I am certainly making the process out to be a very simple one, I realize it is not.

The molecular engineering used to create this sponge is way beyond my ability to describe it here. However, after watching the video I think these scientist might be on to a genuine solution. Will it work in all applications? I am guessing only trials in real world situations will tell. Move over Kevin Costner there is a new oil sucking machine in town and his cousin just might be SpongeBob Squarepants. By the way SpongeBob, the cartoon, generates almost 8 billion dollars a year in revenue.