Organo Modified Nanoclay/Sawdust Mixtures for Hydrocarbon Removal from Water

Abstract

Organo modified nanoclay (OMNC) and OMNC/sawdust mixture were prepared and applied for hydrocarbon removal from water. Montmorillonite and sawdust were used as raw materials while cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) used as surfactant. The removed oils were gasoline, diesel and lubricating oil. The sawdust contents in the mixture were 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40 and 50 wt.-%. The obtained OMNC and OMNC/sawdust mixture were investigated for their oil removal characteristics by foster swelling test, adsorption capacity, hydrocarbon-water separation test and remaining hydrocarbon determination. The results revealed that the OMNC adsorbed gasoline and diesel 3 times more than its weight and about 2 times for lub.oil and the adsorption increased with increasing surfactant loading. For the mixtures containing 5, 10, 15 and 20% sawdust, improvement in adsorption capacity and coagulation efficiency were detected as compared with those of OMNC alone. The sawdust in the mixtures was functioned as a fibrous framework for combination of coagulated oil and OMNC. This facilitated the floating as well as aggregate formation and subsequently removing of hydrocarbon aggregates. On the other hand, when the sawdust content exceeded 20%, deterioration in adsorption capacity and coagulation efficiency of hydrocarbon was obtained. The total hydrocarbon removal percentage was reached as high as 97.32% and the purified water was totally free from hydrocarbon.