Current clean-up of oil-spills

Oil-spills in water bodies are often treated by oil dispersants and/or biological agents. Both methods hope to speed up the biodegradation processes. The addition of dispersants is common, but this "out of sight, out of mind" approach leaves many questions. Are these surfactants safe to the aquatic environments? Perhaps the oil will be degraded, but not the surfactant or rarely will it be. The most straightforward technique to treat an oil spill, however, is to absorb the spilled oil completely and remove it, if it is possible.