Approximately 25 years ago, The Dow Chemical Company was successful in cross-linking polymer chains, to create a unique absorbent product which had a affinity for a wide range of organic liquids. The product was called ＇Imbiber Beads＇, because the words ＇imbibe＇ and ＇absorb＇ are synonymous, thus avoiding the confusion that surrounds the terms ＇adsorbent＇ and ＇absorbent＇.