Study on polyvinyl chloride nanofibers ability for oil spill elimination

Abstract

Oil spill is a serious environmental pollution problem that affects the environment and human health. The immediate and efficient removal of oil spill has become an urgent problem. In recent decades, electrospinning technology has become an effective method for fabrication of nanofibers. Electrospun nanofibers have many applications in different fields, such as environment, healthcare, electrical field, and electronics. The present paper has studied the capacity of polyvinyl chloride nanofibers, which have been successfully obtained by electrospinning method for removal of oil from water. The morphology and hydrophobicity of nanofibers were studied. The sorption capacity of nanofibers has been investigated for various oils such as motor oil, hydraulic oil, and crude oil. The rate of oil sorption versus time, the effect of oil concentration, and temperature on the oil sorption capacity were analyzed. The results showed that polyvinyl chloride nanofibers were able to completely absorb oil without absorbing water. In addition, the results of our research showed that polyvinyl chloride nanofiber’s oil sorption capacity is inversely proportional to the temperature. Given these points, our research showed the enormous potential that polyvinyl chloride nanofibers have for removal of oil spill in water, due to their effectiveness and quickly sorption effect.