Investigating the rose oil and toluene absorption of populus fiber

Abstract

The genus populus provides creamy white, lustrous, lightweight fibers that grow on seeds. Since populus fibers obtained from populus nigra italica are too short (0.25–0.42 cm) to be spun into yarns, populus fibers were spray coated with dimethylacetamide/Spandex solution in order to form non-woven structures. In this study, the oil absorption capacity of non-woven populus fiber pads was investigated and compared to non-woven long cotton fiber and non-woven short cotton fiber pads. The hollow structure and the oleophilic properties of populus fibers make them promising and sustainable oil absorbent candidates. The average short-term rose oil absorption capacity of non-woven populus fiber pads is 32.96798 g/g, while the long-term rose oil absorption capacity of non-woven populus fiber pads is 34.52854 g/g. Furthermore, the toluene absorption capacity of non-woven populus fiber pads is on average 23.16986 g/g for the short-term test and 24.01588 g/g for the long-term test. Moreover, non-woven populus fiber pads preserve 81.75% of rose oil even after remaining in water for 45 minutes.