Carbon nanotube promoted porous nanocomposite based on PVA and recycled PET fibers for efficient oil spills cleanup applications

Abstract

Nowadays, oil pollutions lead to ecological environmental problems and economic issues. In this regard, using proper sorbents can be considered as a promising technique for removal of oil spills. This study focused on developing an eco-friendly and efficient oil sorbent based on recycled polyethylene tetraphalate fibers and polymeric binder of polyvinyl alcohol. The prepared sorbents were investigated in terms of density, porosity and oil sorption capacity. The effects of various content, length and denier of fibers, binder concentration and addition of carbon nanotube on the oil sorption efficiency were quantified evaluated. The fabricated sorbents showed high porosity (92.93–96.87%) and low density (0.043–0.097 g/cm3). A maximum kerosene oil sorption near to 12 g/g was achieved based on using 1 wt% PVA, and 3 wt% fibers with length of 5 mm and denier of 5, which enhanced up to 15.1 g/g by presenting 2 wt% carbon nanotubes into aerogel structure. The surface area of optimum aerogel sorbent was measured about 272 m2/g. The oil sorption capacity of optimum sorbent was maintained even after four cycles, indicating an excellent reusability. The results exhibited suitable efficiency of these sorbents, suggesting the proper potential of these aerogels for oil sorption applications. Eco-friendly and ultra-porous aerogel as efficient oil sorbent based on recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) fibers, from plastic waste and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) binders, promoted by carbon nanotubes