‘Biggest Impact’ Winner, UC Berkeley Engineering

The Spill Saver is an innovative, eco-friendly solution designed to rapidly contain and clean oil spills, specially offshore where traditionally sustainable methods are ineffective. Inspired by the hydrophobic properties of hair mats, Spill Savers is a fast, effective, and reusable method to clean oil spills.

In my first iteration of The Spill Saver I created a buoy-like shape with a inner modular grid system to float a hair pad on the surface of a spill. I included a hook attachment to allow for placement on oil rigs and ships.

The grid opens up to allow a hair pad to be replaced, maximizing absorption and reducing waste. Hair pads absorb oil sustainably and more effectively compared to conventional materials, but cannot be used offshore. The Spill Saver allows for this sustainable solution to be used anywhere.

I am continuing my iterative prototyping process currently, and hope to make it a start up and continue testing.