By Pesach Benson and Omer Novoselsky • August 31, 2026
Jerusalem, 31 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Israeli scientists have developed a biodegradable material that can absorb large amounts of spilled oil while supporting bacteria that break down the pollutants, offering a potential new approach to cleaning up oil spills at sea.
Oil spills can seriously damage marine ecosystems. In February 2021, tar from a major oil spill washed ashore along much of Israel’s Mediterranean coast, affecting beaches and marine habitats from north to south and prompting a nationwide cleanup involving thousands of volunteers and emergency personnel. Believed to have originated from a passing vessel, the spill was declared an environmental disaster by Israeli authorities and became one of Israel’s most significant marine pollution events in recent years.
The spill also provided researchers with bacteria used in developing the new technology. Scientists from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev collected tar-contaminated sea sand from the Mediterranean coast and isolated bacteria capable of breaking down oil.
“The idea and research started before, but the bacteria was retrieved from the 2021 spill,” Prof. Ariel Kushmaro of the university’s Department of Biotechnology, one of the research leaders, told The Press Service of Israel. “This probably indicates the presence of oil degradation microbes in this environment.”
Absorb and Degrade
The technology uses a lightweight, sponge-like material called an aerogel. Made from cellulose, a natural material found in plant fibers and paper, the aerogel is processed at high temperatures without oxygen, creating a highly porous structure capable of absorbing oil.
Researchers added nitrogen and phosphorus to the aerogel. These nutrients are often scarce in seawater but are important for bacteria that naturally break down oil.
In laboratory experiments using artificial seawater contaminated with crude oil, the researchers found that the nutrient-enriched aerogel significantly improved the breakdown of oil compared with aerogels without the added nutrients.
The material can absorb about 100 times its own weight in crude oil.
“It is better than some of the material,” Kushmaro told TPS-IL when asked how its absorption capacity compares with existing oil-cleanup materials. “But the important innovation is the combination of nutrients that allow absorption and biodegradation at the same time.”
The aerogel first captures the oil, while bacteria attach themselves to the material and come into contact with both the trapped hydrocarbons and the added nutrients. The bacteria use the nutrients while breaking down the oil.
The bacteria used in the study belong to the Pseudomonas group, which is commonly found in oil-contaminated environments. The researchers also found that the bacteria can eventually break down the cellulose-based aerogel itself, meaning the material is designed to biodegrade rather than leave a persistent residue.
“As the starting material is cellulose, all material is biodegradable,” Kushmaro explained to TPS-IL.
The researchers see the technology’s main potential application in treating oil spills in the open sea, although it could eventually be used in other contaminated environments, including shorelines, ports and areas around ships and other petroleum facilities.
The approach is intended to address both the immediate need to capture spilled oil and the longer-term challenge of breaking down the pollutants.
“The main application is for oil spill treatment in open sea,” Kushmaro told TPS-IL. “Scaling up of production is the next challenge. Additional challenge is the regulation of the relevant ministries.”
The technology remains at the research and patent stage and requires further testing and development before it can be deployed commercially.
The researchers plan to conduct field experiments in marine environments and explore applications for contaminated soil and groundwater, including pollution beneath gas stations.
The technology was developed at Ben-Gurion University’s Environmental Biotechnology Laboratory and is undergoing a patent process through BGN Technologies, the university’s commercialization company.
The study was published in the peer-reviewed Chemical Engineering Journal Advances.
