Reusable, magnetic nanoparticles can remove crude oil from water. A boat wades through the oily waters of the Gulf of Mexico. image by Kris Krug , rights When 4.9 million barrels of crude oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, cleanup crews rushed to deploy floating barriers to contain crude oil collecting on the water's surface. However, this did nothing for the oil that never reached the top.
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