Cleansing oiled feathers magnetically

Iron powder, a non-toxic non-irritant, was tested as a dry cleansing agent for oiled duck feathers. By exploiting the oil-adsorbing and magnetic prope rties of the powder, up to 97% of the oil and effectively all of the cleans ing agent itself, can be rapidly and efficiently removed fi om the feathers , leaving them in excellent condition. The same outcome was found for three different crude oils and a commercial grade engine oil. The removal was fo und to be equally effective in the presence of seawater. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.