A facile, cost-effective method for separation of free phase hydrocarbons and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from aqueous mixtures would be a tremendous boon to the petroleum industry since it would expedite clean-up of contaminated waters, prevent environmental contamination, and could enhance oil recovery. In the proposed research project, magnetic extractants will be developed that are capable of absorbing the target organic species, thus allowing them to be rapidly separated by magnetic filtration. An electromagnetic filter is readily used to separate magnetically-active particles from aqueous waste streams and then releasing the particles as a concentrated waste stream simply by turning off the magnetic field. The innovative aspect of this research project will be the synthesis of novel materials to be used as magnetic extractants. These will be hybrid organic/inorganic materials that combine organic groups that have a high affinity for contaminant species with a magnetically-active core. Three types of materials will be developed and tested: inorganic polymers with an iron-oxygen backbone, organic polymers that are prepared on the surface of magnetite particles, and hematite-impregnated activated carbon. The magnetic extractants that are developed in this project will be tested for their ability to absorb these target compounds from aqueous mixtures and allow their rapid separation by magnetic filtration. The testing will be performed by use of aqueous mixtures of hexadecane, phenanthrene, crude oil, and actual industrial samples to which the magnetic extractants will be added. The mixture will be briefly shaken and then passed through an electromagnetic filter in order to remove the magnetically-active particles from the purified water. The aqueous effluent will be analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy in order to determine the extent of hydrocarbon removal. Magnetic extractants that are successful in lowering contamination levels to extremely low levels (i.e. significantly less than drinking water standards) or undetectable levels will then be applied to actual contaminated waters from industrial operations. The potential application of the magnetic extractants in the breaking of oil-water emulsions will also be tested by addition of the extractants to an oil-in-water emulsion and determining the effect when such a mixture is passed through an electromagnetic filter. The recyclability of the extractants using a variety of stripping procedures followed by reuse will also be determined. The main technological advance of the proposed research is the development of magnetic extractants that are capable of transforming hydrocarbons into magnetically-active phases. These will be novel materials, created with methodology developed in the Apblett laboratory and will be patentable as a new composition of matter. These materials are expected to make magnetic extraction technology viable for the petrochemical industry in the same manner that magnetic sorbants for non-magnetic contaminant metals have revolutionized treatment of waste water, radioactive water, and contaminated aquifers [1,2]. Fortunately, there are numerous commercially-available magnetic filtration devices so that eventual application of the magnetic extractants in the petroleum industry is greatly facilitated.