Gizmodo reports that Team Elastec recently won the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE by building an oil skimming rig that can pump 4600 gallons of oil a minute out of water to aid oil cleanup efforts. The team used a plastic disc with grooves to collect oil (because oil naturally sticks to plastic) and then used a series of teeth to separate the oil from the water.

It’s a complicated process and one that I can’t adequately explain in writing because I don’t know enough about it, but it’s fascinating to watch.