Abstract
ABSTRACT In order to provide a resource for responses to marine oil spills with reduced costs and lowered secondary environmental loads we began to develop an oil absorbent made from organic waste material in 1997. After some screening it was found that the fiber of Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D.Don) bark has the potential to be an excellent oil absorbent due to its hydrophobic and oleophilic properties. As bark fiber can be enclosed in cotton nets or sheets, the product is composed entirely of organic materials, thus decreasing its toxicity during incineration after use as compared with polymeric materials. In laboratory experiments SBS demonstrated equivalent absorbency (picking up at least 11 times its own weight in bunker C) as conventional polypropylene sheets. The drier and larger the bark fibers of the SBS, the better the absorbency was. In water tank experiments, we also confirmed that some types of SBSs such as S25, S50, B6S14 and M50 were successful in recovering oil in situations with small waves and currents.
Published Version
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call