• Measuring cup 
• 6 cups water 
• 1 half cup  oil 
• Three drops food coloring 
• sponge 
• cotton pads 
• polyester cloth 
• Cheese cloth 
• sieve 
• Large tin foil pans 
• drinking straw 
• string 
• 2 weights 

 

1. First I had to gather the materials. 
2. Then I filled my tin pans with 6 cups water
3. Then I placed my boom in the water. 
4. next I added 1 cup  oil. 
5. I then placed pieces of sponge in the half of the pan with the oil. 
6. I then did this with the other materials. 
7. I let each material sit in the oil for 5 minuites. 
8. Then I recorded what happened with each material.

Polyester-  The polyester batting (used for stuffing pillows) absorbed most of the oil before the five minute period was up.  It didn’t start to pick up the water until almost all the oil was gone.  It was like a magnet to the oil. 
 

Cotton Pads- The cotton pads picked up the oil in the beginning, but I had to use at least 30 of them. Then they started to sink when they picked up the water.  At the end of five minutes there was still oil left. 
 

Sieve lined with cheese cloth-  The sieve lined with the cheese cloth worked best when my mom poured the oil and the water into the sieve.  The cheese cloth held the oil but not the water. 
 

The boom-  The boom contained the oil in one space and that made clean up easier no matter which absorbent material I was using. Sometimes some of the oil would seep out and stay close to the edge of the pan. when that happened I would take a piece of the material I was using, and I would try to mop up the oil. 
 

• 1.Oil spills   Madelyn Klein Anderson
• 2.The Intertnet.