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 properties of the powder, up to 97% of the oil and effectively all of the cleansing agent itself, can be rapidly and efficiently removed from 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 found to be equally effective in the presence of seawater.