Preparation and characterization of polypropylene fiber-grafted polybutylmethacrylate as oil sorbent

Abstract

Polypropylene fiber-grafted polybutylmethacrylate (PP-g-PBMA), a new oil absorbent, was prepared by suspension polymerization using butyl methacrylate as monomer, benzoyl peroxide (BPO) as initiator, and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide as cross-linker. The effects of monomer concentration, initiator concentration, and cross-linker dosage on the oil absorbency were studied. The results revealed that the pseudo-second-order kinetics model fitted well with the experimental results. The sorption isotherms studies indicated that the equilibrium process was well described by the Freundlich isotherm model. The structures of polypropylene fiber (PP) and PP-g-PBMA were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), N2 adsorption–desorption, contact-angle (CA) measurements, and differential thermogravimetric analysis. The results of FTIR and SEM show that PBMA was successfully grafted onto PP fiber substrate. The maximum oil sorption capacity of PP-g-PBMA for toluene, diesel, soybean oil, and lubricating oil can reach 18.65, 25.74, 33.56, and 38.90 g/g, respectively. In order to simulate real marine environment, the oil sorption capacities of PP-g-PBMA at different stirring speed values, temperatures, and salinity were investigated. Furthermore, PP-g-PBMA can be reused and recycled more than eight times. It can be concluded that PP-g-PBMA with low-cost and high oil sorption capacity could be used for removal of oil spill.