Synthesis of biowaste derived ultra-light spongy material for the studies of effective removal of oil, organic solvent and selective dye pollutant from waste stream

Abstract

The development of highly efficient absorbent material has great ecological importance for the removal of oils, organic solvents and organic pollutants from industrial and domestic effluents. In this article, we developed waste tea powder (WTP) derived spongy graphene composite (sG-WTP) and applied it to separate oil, organic solvent and organic pollutants from their water mixtures. We prepared sG-WTP from waste tea powder, graphene oxide (GO), and natural rubber latex using a simple one-pot hydrothermal method as-prepared sG-WTP composite is hydrophobic/oleophilic in nature, eco-friendly, and absorb a high amount of oil (Diesel) 51.09 g/g and organic solvent (Chloroform) 63.51 g/g sG-WTP showed excellent result toward the removal of organic pollutants, such as methylene blue MB (50 ppm), within 30 min. It was able to selectively adsorbed brilliant green in the presence of acid orange. The oil, organic solvents absorption and dye adsorption capacity of as synthesized sG-WTP was sustained up to 85, 92 and 95% after 10 consecutive cycles, suggesting that it has excellent recyclable performance. The high efficiency and recyclability of sG-WTP spongy composite for the separation of oils/organic solvents and selective adsorption of organic pollutants from their water mixtures could be an ideal absorbent for different applications, including in oil spillage and organic solvents/pollutants clean up.