Science and Technology of New York City

Zhu L, Li C, Xie A, et al. A simple method to synthesize modified Fe3O4 for the removal of organic pollutants on water surface. Applied Surface Science [serial online]. June 15, 2012;258(17):6326-6330. Available from: Academic Search Complete, Ipswich, MA. Accessed October 14, 2012.

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The authors of Applied Surface Science wrote this article in order to inform their peers of a efficient method of creating a ingredient that is used in cleaning organic matter from the surfaces of water. There is no bias at all, this article is purely a study which provides raw data. It is up to the reader to interpret such numbers for his or herself.

In the Gowanus Canal, there exists an array of pollutants that line the canal. Organic waste from sewage water is a common sight, and so are deposits of oils that exist from the time when factories and chemical plants were operating in bulk along the canal. Oil leaks were not uncommon, and over time, it has accumulated in the canal.

In the article, a way to create Fe3O4 is being explored in an environmentally friendly and economically feasible way. Fe3O4 can be modified with sodium oleate to create a super – hydrophobic surface – a surface that will not bind to water. It can also be futher modified to be lipophilic – which means that it can be dissolved in organic compounds, namely oils and sewage.

This can have broad applications in waste water treatment. Some of these methods are already used in other wastewater treatment plants. This can have big implications for the Gowanus Canal. Cleaning up all the raw sewage and deposits of oil can go a long way to improving the quality of water within the canal.

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