Abstract
Agricultural sorbents have received attention for their effectiveness in oil removal. In Malaysia, oil palm’s empty fruit bunch (EFB) spikelets are an abundant agricultural waste that provides a non-toxic, renewable resource of cellulosic materials. In this study, the effectiveness of EFB spikelets to remove oil spills from seawater pollution in a filter system was investigated and the best optimisation approach for filtering conditions was determined. Experiments for oil spill clean-up were performed using a filter-based oil sorption system with a series of conditions such as temperature, time, packing density, and oil concentration to evaluate sorption capacity, oil and water absorbed efficiency. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to characterise the physicochemical properties of untreated and treated EFB fibres. Based on one-factor-at -a-time (OFAT) analysis conducted at 160 °C for 30 min on 0.1 g/cm3 of packing density containing 25% diesel, 8.667 mL of oil and 5 mL of water was absorbed. In response surface methodology (RSM), the three parameters of temperature, packing density and diesel concentration were observed as significant. From RSM fitting model analysis, the predicted value obtained for both oil and water absorbed were 8.805 and 5.213 mL, respectively. The experimental RSM values of 9 and 5 mL of oil and water absorbed were obtained. The result demonstrated the validity of the model as the experimental RSM values were close to the RSM model’s prediction. As compared to OFAT, the RSM method is more efficient in oil removal. This research contributes to a better knowledge of the usage of a natural sorbent as a method of diesel pollution remediation.
Highlights
Diesel pollution poses a major risk as it can cause serious damage to the aquatic environment through exposure to anthropogenic pollutants
empty fruit bunch (EFB) spikelets in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) spectra untreated before wetting with oil showed a broad peak at 3297.41 cm−1, providing evidence for high amounts of stretching of O-H groups, which indicated the presence of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin from the plant [29,30]
The O-H stretching (3291.72 cm−1) in untreated EFB spikelets was decreased after the oil treatment, implying that hydroxyl groups from lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose were reduced [31,32]
Summary
Diesel pollution poses a major risk as it can cause serious damage to the aquatic environment through exposure to anthropogenic pollutants. Numerous anthropogenic sources contribute to the diesel pollution in marine seawater, namely accidental oil spills from marine vessels and leakages from the transportation of supertankers [1]. The oil leakages have a huge impact on the local environment, including economic and human health effects. According to Nikkhah et al [2], between 2010 and 2013, 22,000 tonnes of oil were estimated to have been spilled into marine environments, with petroleum fuels accounting for 48% of the total. When diesel fuel is transported and stored in bulk volumes, accidental spills and leaks can significantly raise the risk of contamination [1]. A comprehensive assessment of oil spill episodes with detrimental effects on the marine environment was published by Lim et al [4]
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