A team of chemists led by Dr. George John, Associate Professor at The City College of New York (CCNY), have developed a non-toxic, recyclable agent that can solidify oil on salt water so that it can be scooped up like the fat that forms on the top of a pot of chilled chicken soup. The agent could potentially be used to recover oil lost in the British Petroleum (BP) spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Professor John said. In this video is a laboratory demonstration of a sugar-alcohol solution gellifying diesel fuel on water so that it can readily be scooped up. Credit: City College of New York