US 12,221,363 B2
In situ oil cleanup and recovery using smart polymer integrated surface vessels
Eui-Hyeok Yang, Fort Lee, NJ (US); Ronald Besser, New Providence, NJ (US); Jian Xu, West Lafayette, IN (US); Wei Xu, Farmingdale, NY (US); Brendan Englot, New York, NY (US); and Chang-Hwan Choi, Tenafly, NJ (US)
Assigned to The Trustees of the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, NJ (US)
Filed by THE TRUSTEES OF THE STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Hoboken, NJ (US)
Filed on Feb. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/681,581.
Application 17/681,581 is a continuation in part of application No. 16/766,066, granted, now 11,407,657, previously published as PCT/US2018/063932, filed on Dec. 4, 2018.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/154,331, filed on Feb. 26, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/594,485, filed on Dec. 4, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2022/0177331 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C02F 1/40 (2023.01); C02F 1/28 (2023.01); C02F 101/32 (2006.01); C02F 103/00 (2006.01)
CPC C02F 1/40 (2013.01) [C02F 1/285 (2013.01); C02F 1/288 (2013.01); C02F 2101/32 (2013.01); C02F 2103/007 (2013.01)] 25 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A combination of a surface vessel and an oil-collection apparatus, said surface vessel adapted to float on a body of water, and said oil-collection apparatus provided on said surface vessel, said oil-collection apparatus comprising a segmented belt having a plurality of segments, at least some of said plurality of segments are electrically conductive such that each of said electrically conductive plurality of segments is oxidizable and reducible, and wherein each of said electrically conductive plurality of segments includes a membrane having a tunable oil wettability characteristic.