The innovation of Günter Hufschmid at the German firm Deurex is a synthetic wax that, when heated under pressure, turns into a light, spongy material that can adsorb about seven times its own weight's worth of oil, chemicals, or other hydrophobic liquids. The invention is a radical improvement to existing "spill management" technologies, which soak up fewer contaminants less quickly and often leave behind residues. It is also more economical to produce.