Sorption and Recovery of A-grade Heavy Oil by Using Exfoliated Graphite Packed in Plastic Bag

Abstract

For a practical application to recover heavy oil, exfoliated graphite packed into a plastic bag and compacted exfoliated graphite were prepared. Their sorption behavior was studied. Exfoliated graphite packed into a polypropylene non-woven bag with a lower bulk density sorbed 40g A-grade heavy oil per 1g exfoliated graphite. The sorption of heavy oil by the exfoliated graphite compacts showed a little lower sorption capacity than exfoliated graphite packed in the plastic bag. The use of exfoliated graphite packed into a plastic bag seemed to be effective in recovering heavy oil spilled on water.