Liquidation of oil spills using a sorbent based on chitosan

Abstract

The development of a sorbent for the oil spill treatment based on polyurethane foam and chitosan. Chitosan is a polysaccharide – an insoluble fiber type – derive from chitin which is found in the shells of some marine life such as shrimp, lobster and crab. It is also found in some types of edible fungi and insects.Carry out a research into the technology of polyurethane foam filling with chitosan in the amount of 20% and 50% by mass. Elastic and semi-elastic polyurethane foam was used as a polymer matrix of the sorbent. Sorbents with 20% chitosan by mass have the best oil absorbent capacity. Absorbent capacity of the sorbent based on elastic polyurethane foam, full filled with chitosan, soluble in acid, is ∼ 12, 65 g / g, and the semi-elastic sorbent, full filled with chitosan, soluble in acid, is ∼ 6.12 g / g. Regardless of the polymer matrix type, the sorbent has a high buoyancy (does not sink in the carbonated state), and the full saturation of the sorbent with oil occurs almost for the first 15 to 20 minutes