Cotton grass
1. Introduction
The ever-growing use and transport of crude oil and
oil products has led to an increasing amount of spillages
of various scales. Oil-spills may contaminate large areas
of the sea, as well as the shores where it is eventually
washed up (Whitfield, 2003). More common, however,
are oil-spills from ships emptying bilge water into the
sea. It is often possible to pump spilled oil from soil
or the sea in case of large-scale oil-spills, but not in
minor-scale accidents. In these cases, various sorbents
are commonly used to absorb the spilled oil––if anything
is done at all.