received by the International Bureau on 13 November 2014 (13.11.2014)

1. A process for manufacturing a floatable oil absorbing device, the process comprising:

cutting a non-woven polymeric master web into pieces;

collecting a predetermined amount or number of the pieces;

heaping the predetermined amount or number of the pieces onto a bottom sheet of an envelope material;

placing a top sheet of an envelope material on the predetermined amount of the pieces and the bottom sheet, at least one of the top sheet and the bottom sheet being water-pervious; and

heat-sealing or welding peripheral regions of the top and bottom sheets together to form the device.

2. The process of claim 1, further comprising mutually connecting the top and bottom sheets in a central region.

3. The process of claim 1 or 2, further comprising attaching connectors to a rim portion of one of the sheets.

4. The process of claim 3, wherein plural devices are connected in an edge-on fashion using the connectors to form a two-dimensional array .

5. The process of claim 1, further comprising providing the top and bottom sheets each with a hole, and mounting the device on a rod or tube together with other, like devices in a face-on fashion as a stack, such that the rod or tube fits into the holes and the pieces cannot escape from within the devices.

6. The process of claim 5, further comprising placing the stack of devices in a rigid cage having end parts and peripheral parts connecting the end parts.

7. The process of claim 6, further comprising connecting plural stacks, with plural further devices arranged between the facing end parts of the stacks. 18

8. The process of one of claims 5 to 7, comprising connecting other devices to the stacks, wherein the other devices are manufactured according to claim 3 or 4.

9. An apparatus for manufacturing a water-floatable oil absorbing device, the apparatus comprising:

a cutting section for continuously cutting particles out of a master web of oil absorbing material;

an apportioning section for collecting and forwarding a predetermined amount or number of the particles; and

a transporting section comprising:

an input sector for heaping the predetermined amount onto a bottom sheet of a first envelope material;

a welding sector for placing a top sheet of a second envelope material onto the predetermined amount or number of the particles, and heat-sealing peripheral regions of the top and bottom sheets; and

an output sector, from which the heat-sealed disk is removed from the transporting section,

wherein the transporting section is arranged to move the devices being so manufactured from each sector to the next, and from the final sector to the first, in a concerted fashion, and wherein at least one of the first and second envelope material is water-pervious.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the transporting section comprises a plurality of fixtures, each fixture of the plurality of fixtures adapted for mounting one device being manufactured.

1 1. The apparatus of claim 9 or 10, wherein the transporting section comprises a turn-table arranged for rotatingly moving the devices between sectors.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 1, wherein the turn-table has recesses formed in its surface as fixtures.

13. The apparatus of one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the cutting section comprises engaging cutting rolls, the surface of which carries cutting tools arranged for cutting particles out of the master web. 19

14. An oil absorbing material, consisting of generally oblate chips of a fibrous polymeric material, wherein the shape of the chips, as seen in a projection onto their plane of maximum extension, is polygonal or/and has one angle exceeding 180°.

15. The oil absorbing material of claim 14, wherein two angles of the polygon are not more than 100°, or less than 75°.

16. The oil absorbing material of claim 14 or 15, wherein the ratio of the equivalent diameter of the chips to their thickness is at least 5, or more than 8.

17. The oil absorbing material of one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the polymeric material is a polyolefin, such as melt-blown polypropylene or polyethylene.

18. A water-floatable oil absorbing device, comprising the oil absorbing material of one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the chips are accommodated between two sheets, at least one of which is water-pervious, wherein the two sheets are welded together at their peripheries.

19. The device of claim 18, wherein both sheets are water- and oil-pervious.

20. The device of claim 18, wherein the bottom sheet is oil-impervious.

21. The device of one of claims 18 to 20, wherein an outer contour is generally obround, oval or circular.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the two sheets each have a hole for passing a rod or tube therethrough.

23. The device of one of claims 18 to 20, wherein an outer contour is generally polygonal.

24. The device of claim 23, further comprising a central connection between the two sheets.

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25. The device of claim 23 or 24, further comprising peripherally arranged connectors adapted to interconnect plural devices to form a two-dimensional array.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the connectors are of a male/female connecting type.

27. The device of claim 25 or 26, wherein the connectors are three to seven, eight, or more than eight, such as up to twelve in number.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein eight connectors are distributed around the circumference of a quadrangular device either one at each corner and one on each side centrally, such as in the central third; or else two on each side, located in the outer thirds of the respective side.