IIT Guwahati researchers develop novel material to detect fuel adulteration and clean oil spill

IIT Guwahati researchers have developed a new material that detects kerosene adulteration in petrol and can remove oil from water by turning it into gel form. The innovation, published in Chemical Engineering, could aid fuel safety and marine conservation.

Hyderabad: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati researchers have developed novel material that can detect adulteration or contamination of kerosene in petrol. The same material also holds the potential to selectively absorb oil from water and solidify it.

Oil spills in oceans are among the most damaging environmental disasters in the world and lead to the loss of marine life, coastlines, and livelihoods that depend on them. Oil spreads quickly and widely on water, making cleaning a challenging task. To address this, chemical absorbents, or other steps, which includes burning the oil, often lead to secondary pollution, a press release said.

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To address this challenge, the IIT Guwahati research team developed a Phase- Selective Organogelator (PSOG) molecule, a special class of safe materials. The PSOG was rationally designed to undergo hierarchical supramolecular self-assembly process, which ultimately leads to oil gelation. It can trap oils such as kerosene and diesel through a self-assembly process, similar to how soap molecules organise themselves in water. Once they trap the oil, they form semi-solid gels that can be easily removed without disturbing the water below.

Another potential use of the developed organogel is to detect the adulteration of Kerosene. In India, especially among low-income groups, Kerosene is sometimes adulterated with petrol to reduce the running cost of automobiles or household cooking. This is a dangerous combination as the adulterated fuel is highly flammable and has caused multiple Kerosene stove explosion accidents in the country.

The findings of the research have been published in the prestigious journal, Chemical Engineering, in a paper co-authored by Prof. Gopal Das, Department of Chemistry, along with his research scholars, Rubi Moral, and Oiyao Appun Pegu at IIT Guwahati.