Case Study: Amphos 21 achieves optimized hydrophobic-mesh oil recovery with COMSOL Multiphysics

Amphos 21 - Customer Case Study

Amphos 21, a Spain-based environmental technology consultancy, tackled the problem that conventional oil-spill cleanup methods are costly and recover only a fraction of spilled oil. To explore a potentially more effective and recyclable option—hydrophobic metal meshes that let oil pass while repelling water—Amphos 21 developed numerical models and a custom simulation app using Comsol Multiphysics software to test mesh geometries, coatings, and operating depths.

Using Comsol, Amphos 21 modeled the mesh as a porous medium with two-phase flow to compute oil saturation, oil flux, fractional water flow, permeability, and breakthrough pressure across pore sizes and fluid conditions. The Comsol-based app lets users run parameter sweeps in under 30 seconds to determine, for example, the pore radius needed to operate 0.5 m below the surface with ≤1% water in the recovered oil—reducing physical testing, cutting development costs, and improving recovery efficiency and oil purity for faster, more effective spill response.

Amphos 21

Emilie Coene

Consultant