Abstract
Magnetic nanoparticles are amongst the most promising adsorption materials for oil spill clean-up due to their high surface area, ease of functionalization with high oil affinity and facile separation after the cleaning process with an external magnetic field. In this work, we successfully synthesized magnetic cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe2O4 NPs) that were electrostatically stabilized and functionalized with various alkoxysilanes for effective oil adsorption and oil spill removal. Additionally, the adsorption capacity of CoFe2O4 NPs was determined, and the possibility of their reuse assessed. Prepared samples showed high oil adsorption capacities between 2.6 and 3.5 g of oil per g of nanoparticles and were successfully collected with an external magnet. Furthermore, the samples showed excellent properties after regeneration, as their adsorption capacity decreased by less than 3% after reuse. All the prepared samples were thoroughly characterized to better understand their behaviour and the differences in the use of various silanes were highlighted.
Highlights
Crude oil is an indispensable raw material for humanity and remains our crucial source of energy
The magnetic NPs were functionalized with TEOS in combination with two different chain length silanes (PTMS and MTMS) in various molar ratios
The specific surface area that is crucial for good adsorbent material was determined with BET method for all prepared NPs and was the highest for MTMS and PTMS functionalized NPs at molar ratio P 1⁄4 1
Summary
Crude oil is an indispensable raw material for humanity and remains our crucial source of energy. It is important to develop quick and efficient oil removal methods. The ideal oil spill cleaning material must be hydrophobic, lipophilic (oleophilic), selective, stable, with high adsorption capacity and the ability to adsorb thick and thin layers of oil quickly and efficiently. Since the material must be reused, it needs to allow quick, simple and inexpensive separation from the contaminated water and subsequent regeneration (Tang and Lo, 2013; Zhang and Lei, 2012). The development of an ideal oil cleaning agent remains a challenge and each oil spill removal requires an individual approach for which adsorption agents are considered to be the most economical, sustainable and efficient solution (Singh et al, 2014)
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