A bio-based polyurethane foam has been successfully tested on its oil absorption in the oil spill in Mindoro and the head of the team from the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) said the technology would be refined further to absorbed the oil that has dried a bit on sea. The polyurethane foam labeled as “CocoFlexSorb” was successful in absorbing the oil spilled at sea by the MT Princess Empress when it sunk in March this year, said Hernando P. Bacosa, professor of Environmental Science of the College of Science and Mathematics at MSU-IIT. Bacosa said the technology uses coconut oil tweaked to absorb other oils but this was rushed to respond to the oil spill. While it did show the capacity to absorb the crude oil, he said much of the oil spilled had been weathered, or dried up and had to be scooped manually.

Cayon, M. T. (2023, May 15). Filipino-made foam tested on Mindoro oil-spill areas. BusinessMirror, p. A4.