Abstract
In this study we evaluated the oil adsorption capacity of an aliphatic polyurethane foam (PU 1) and two of its composites, produced through surface coating using microparticles of silica (PU-Si 2) and activated carbon (PU-ac 3). The oil adsorption capacity in diesel was improved up to 36% using the composite with silica and up to 50% using the composite with activated carbon with respect to the initial PU 1. Excellent performances were retained in gasoline and motor oil. The adsorption was complete after a few seconds. The process follows a monolayer adsorption fitted by the Langmuir isotherm, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 29.50 g/g of diesel for the composite with activated carbon (PU-ac 3). These materials were proved to be highly oleophilic for oil removal from fresh water and sea water samples. Regeneration and reuse can be repeated up to 50 times by centrifugation, without a significant loss in adsorption capacity.
Highlights
IntroductionPolyurethane (PU) foams represent one example of synthetic materials that are widely used for the removal of oils from water, because these polymers possess a large specific area, low density and can be ultralight [34,35]
We propose the facile production of one polyurethane foam and two polyurethane composites derived from it by surface coating, employing microparticles of silica and activated carbon
We prepared two polyurethane composites (2 and 3) using a simple surface coating method starting from an aliphatic polyurethane 1
Summary
Polyurethane (PU) foams represent one example of synthetic materials that are widely used for the removal of oils from water, because these polymers possess a large specific area, low density and can be ultralight [34,35]. They are commonly synthesized by the reaction between a polyol and a polyisocyanate, catalyzed in different
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