Oil scavenging material

Claim 1

Method of scavenging an oil slick which comprises contacting that oil slick with a quantity of particles derived from a friable material formed from paper machine sludge combined in the presence of water with a very high early strength, fast-setting portland cement and dried in the absence of substantial pressure at a moderate temperature, said sludge comprising the sludge formed from the paper-making machine fluid discharge in the daily manufacture of high quality bond and artistic paper and having a consistency similar to papier mache with a ratio of water to solids in said sludge such that about one pound total sludge contains about three ounces of paper machine sludge solids, said sludge solids containing approximately 80 percent substantially pure cellulose fibers derived from wood and cotton fibers and approximately 20 percent other solids comprising titanium pigment, silica pigment and paper-maker's clay in substantial equal quantities, said sludge being substantially free of resinous materials, said very high early strength, fast-setting portland cement being a fast-setting hydraulic cement having very high compressive strengths within a few hours of mixing with water, and generally from about 2,900 to over 5,000 p.s.i. within 24 hours, containing beta 2CaO.SiO 2 , 3CaO.CaSO 4 and chemically unbound CaSO 4 obtained by firing at a temperature between about 1,200° and 1,600° C. for about 1 to 5 hours a mixture of a source respectively of CaO, SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and SO 3 in proportions of about 1 to 3 moles of CaSO 4 to about (0.5 to 2)+2n moles of CaCO 3 per mole of Al 2 O 3 .nSiO 2 and grinding the resultant clinker where n is about 1.5 to about 2.5, wherein the ratio of paper machine sludge solids to portland cement solids is about three parts by weight of sludge solids to between about one-half part and about three parts by weight of cement solids, said friable material characterized in that when placed on an oil slick it will sorb up to five times its weight of oil substantially to the exclusion of any water that may be present in the vicinity of the oil and will continue to float on such water even when saturated with oil, and removing the oil-containing particles together with the oil contained therewith from the area of the oil slick.