Crude Oil Removal Research Articles

One-step foam assisted synthesis of robust superhydrophobic lignin-based magnetic foams for highly efficient oil-water separation and rapid solar-driven heavy oil removal

Taking effective measures to remove oil and organic pollutants from water has become a top priority. In this study, we developed a novel superhydrophobic and magnetic lignin-based polyurethane foam for highly efficient adsorption of organic pollutants and removal of viscous crude oil from water. The superhydrophobic bio-based magnetic foam was prepared by the addition of Fe3O4 nanoparticles during the foaming process followed by the immersion in an octadecyltrimethoxysilane (OTMS) solution. After modification by OTMS, the water contact angle (WCA) of the foam adsorbent was increased by 37.1°, exhibiting a high WCA of 156°. Fe3O4 nanoparticles endowed the foam with excellent photo-thermal performance, allowing the efficient adsorption of both crude oil and a wide range of organic solvents. The foam adsorbent had a high adsorption capacity up to 18.8 times of its own weight. The bio-based adsorbent could still retain a high adsorption capacity after over ten cycles. The magnetic property facilitated control and recycling of the foam adsorbent by using a magnetic field. Moreover, the bio-based foam adsorbent was fully degraded in a methanol/sodium hydroxide solution (0.5 mol/L) at 60 °C after 8 h. The outstanding mechanical stability, reusability, and environmental friendliness make these bio-based foam adsorbent highly promising for cleaning up pollutions in water.

Electromagnetically Modified Wettability and Interfacial Tension of Hybrid ZnO/SiO2 Nanofluids

Worldwide, reservoirs are having serious challenges on crude oil removal due to various factors affecting its mobility; hence, the approach of oil production needs to be rectified. Recently, various nanoparticles (NPs) were discovered to have aided in oil displacement to improve oil production by modifying some reservoir conditions thereby reducing interfacial tension (IFT) and rock surface wettability. However, the injected NPs in the reservoir are trapped within the rock pores and become worthless due to high temperature and pressure. Hence, introducing energy to the nanofluids via electromagnetic (EM) waves can improve nanoparticle (NPs) mobility in the reservoir for the attainment of oil displacements. In this work, hybrid ZnO/SiO2 NPs were selected by considering that the combination of two dielectric NPs may produce a single nanofluid that is expected to make the fluids more electrified under EM waves. The result showed that ZnO/SiO2 NPs reduced the IFT (mN/m) from 17.39 to 2.91, and wettability (°) from 141 to 61. Moreover, by introducing the EM waves to the fluids, the IFT was further reduced to 0.02 mN/m from 16.70 mN/m, and solid surface wettability was also reduced from 132° to 58°. The advancement observed during exposure to EM waves was attributed to the energy propagated to the fluids that polarize the free charges of the NPs and consequently activate the fluids by creating disturbances at the fluid/oil interface, which resulted in reduced IFT and wettability.

An Elastic Mof/Graphene Aerogel with High Photothermal Efficiency for Rapid Removal of Crude Oil

An Elastic Mof/Graphene Aerogel with High Photothermal Efficiency for Rapid Removal of Crude Oil

Superhydrophobic Pdms@Gsh Wood with Joule Heat and Photothermal Effect for Viscous Crude Oil Removal

Superhydrophobic Pdms@Gsh Wood with Joule Heat and Photothermal Effect for Viscous Crude Oil Removal

Hydrophobic Sandwich-Like Pvdf/Rgo/Pdms Membrane with Electrothermal/Photothermal Effects for Crude Oil Removal and Water-in-Oil Emulsion Separation

Hydrophobic Sandwich-Like Pvdf/Rgo/Pdms Membrane with Electrothermal/Photothermal Effects for Crude Oil Removal and Water-in-Oil Emulsion Separation

Development of a monolithic carbon xerogel-metal composite for crude oil removal from oil in-saltwater emulsions: Evaluation of reuse cycles

This study aims to evaluate the reuse capacity of carbon xerogels-Ce/Ni composite (XCeNi) during crude oil adsorption from O/W emulsions and subsequent regeneration through the oxidation process using air as an oxidant agent for six cycles. For the six cycles of evaluation, batch adsorption experiments were done at different temperatures and modeled using the solid-equilibrium model (SLE). In contrast, catalytic tests were performed under non-isothermal and isothermal heating. To estimate the change in the sample's surface composition, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis was carried out during each regeneration cycle. According to batch adsorption experiments and SLE fitting, the XCeNi sample presents a high affinity for hydrocarbons and a similar maximum adsorption capacity during six regeneration cycles. Crude oil was also successfully decomposed under non-isothermal heating (100–800 °C), reducing the main decomposition peak from 250 to 150 °C for all the evaluated cycles. Under isothermal heating at 150, 200, and 250 °C, conversions of 100% were obtained for all cycles evaluated. At the first cycle the time required to decompose 100% of adsorbed crude oil at 60 min, whereas, after the 6 cycle, it is achieved at 120 min. The gaseous analysis of the products involved in the oxidation of the crude oil in each cycle was considered, finding an increase in the production of light hydrocarbons and reducing gas emissions such as CO2, NOX, and SOX during all reuses. The activation energy increases from 10.1 to 18.7 kJ mol−1 during the six cycles due to the reduction of the content of Ce3+. The Ce3+ concentration is reduced to 0 after each adsorption cycle. Apparently, the ability of the xerogel to decompose the adsorbed crude during all cycles may be associated with the increase in Ce3+ during the adsorption process, and then during the oxidation treatment is transformed to Ce(OH)22+. Also, the influence of Ni2+ on XCeNi is noted. Through the regeneration, the Ni2+/Ni3+ ratio varies, which shows the continuous redox processes that have taken place in this sample.

Development of an adsorbent for the remediation of crude oil polluted water using stearic acid grafted coconut husk (Cocos nucifera) composite

With increasing crude oil contamination scenes reported around the globe, highly promising materials are important to remove crude oil from water bodies for safeguarding the public health, aquatic life and sustaining agricultural activities. In this work, we have prepared agro-based material (Cocos nucifera husk) composite with high surface area and well-ordered framework of porosity for crude oil removal. Material characterization was carried out to expose the nature of the composite prepared and its affinity to oil sorption. Adsorption studies were evaluated in batch mode with the function of oil-water ratio, temperature, time and pH as well as reuse with suitable eluent. High adsorption efficiency was exhibited by the composite at low pH as the surfaces were predominantly positive at 0.05 mol/dm3 and 0.10 mol/dm3. Differential thermo gravimetric analysis (DTA) revealed that esterified coconut husk (CHs) was thermally stable at 432.7 °C. In addition, the composite demonstrated good potential as adsorbent with 96.4% crude oil removal after 50 mins at 0.2 g/100cm3. The adsorption isotherm data were well fitted to the Langmuir isotherm model as expected from the structural homogeneity of the conjugated material with maximum adsorption capacity of 69.86 mg/g. The experimental kinetic data were adequately matched by pseudo-second order kinetic model (R2≥ 0.99). Crude oil was eluted from the composite with ethanol and regenerated to the original pattern. The regenerated material exhibited the same functionality and was used successively in several adsorption -elution-reuse-cycle. Therefore, the newly developed composite material is an interesting, efficient and economic sustainable material.

Bioaugmentation with zeolite-immobilized bacterial consortium OPK results in a bacterial community shift and enhances the bioremediation of crude oil-polluted marine sandy soil microcosms

A pyrene-degrading consortium OPK containing Mycolicibacterium strains PO1 and PO2, Novosphingobium pentaromativorans PY1 and Bacillus subtilis FW1 effectively biodegraded medium- and long-chain alkanes as well as mixed hydrocarbons in crude oil. The detection of alkB and CYP153 genes in the genome of OPK members supports its phenotypic ability to effectively degrade a broad range of saturated hydrocarbons in crude oil. Zeolite-immobilized OPK was developed as a ready-to-use bioproduct and it exhibited 74% removal of 1000 mg L−1 crude oil within 96 h in sterilized seawater without nutrient supplementation and maintained high crude oil-removal activity under a broad range of pH values (5.0–9.0), temperatures (30–40 °C) and salinities (20–60‰). In addition, the immobilized OPK retained a high crude oil removal efficacy in semicontinuous experiments and showed reusability for at least 5 cycles. Remarkably, bioaugmentation with zeolite-immobilized OPK in sandy soil microcosms significantly increased crude oil (10,000 mg kg−1 soil) removal from 45% to 80.67% within 21 days compared to biostimulation and natural attenuation. Moreover, bioaugmentation with exogenous immobilized OPK stimulated an increase in the relative abundances of Alcanivorax genus, indigenous hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, which in turn enhanced removal efficiency of crude oil contamination from sandy soil microcosms. The results indicate positive interactions between the bioaugmented immobilized consortium, harboring Mycolicibacterium as a key player, and indigenous Alcanivorax, which exhibited crucial functions for improving crude oil removal efficacy. The knowledge obtained forms an important basis for further synthesis and handling of a promising bio-based product for enhancing the in situ bioremediation of crude oil-polluted marine environments.

Preparation and Characterization of activated carbon from agricultural waste (Musa-paradisiaca peels) for the remediation of crude oil contaminated water

In this work, acetylated plantain peels as a novel composite with high surface area and well-ordered framework of porosity was prepared. Kinetic and isotherm modelling of crude oil removal was considered as well. Batch adsorption studies were carried out with the function of oil water ratio, pH and temperature. Characterization of activated carbon was carried out to ascertain the nature of the composite prepared and its affinity to oil sorption. Surface morphology was investigated with scan electron microscope (SEM). Chemical composition of compounds was investigated using X-ray fluorescent machine while the X-ray diffraction machine (XRD) examined the crystallographic nature of the plantain peels. Salt addition techniques was employed for point zero charge analysis at ionic strengths 0.05 and 0.1 mol/dm3. The influence of pH, temperature and oil/water ratio was found to be highly significant and strongly influenced oil removal by the composite. SEM analysis showed several changes on the surface of the composite after acid treatment. XRF and XRD revealed that the raw plantain peels were highly composed of quartz. The point zero charge revealed that the surface of acetylated plantain peels was predominately positive charge at pH ranging between 4.05±0.1 and 4.07±0.1. However, the composite exhibited high adsorption efficiency at a very low pH of 5 with 90.9% of crude oil removal. Isotherm modelling revealed that the composite material was highly matched to Temkin isotherm model with maximum adsorption capacity of 50.1mg/g. The kinetic data fitted well with Bahattacharya-Venkobachor model. The regenerated biomass exhibited high performance and functionality and used successively in different adsorption activities. Therefore, acetylated plantain peel composite is an efficient, economic viable and sustainable adsorbent materials suitable in remediation of crude oil polluted water.

Adsorption of crude and waste diesel oil onto agar-carboxymethylcellulose-silver nanocomposite in aqueous media

Waste containing oil is generally classified as hazardous pollutants especially aquatic environment. A new agar-CMC-silver (AG-CMC-Agnp) nanocomposite was synthesized by surface modification of cellulose (extracted from Egyptian macroalga Ulva fasciata) to carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) anchored on silver nanoparticles (Agnp), followed by agar (AG; extracted from Gelidium crinale). A batch study was applied to evaluate the efficacy of these biomaterials to remove crude and waste diesel oil from water. The optimum parameters affecting oil adsorption (oil concentration, contact time, temperature, and sorbent dose) were investigated. AG-CMC-Agnp composite shows the highest adsorption capacity with 10.95 ± 0.47 and 8.95 ± 0.54 g g−1, for removal of crude and waste diesel oil from aqueous media, respectively, with excellent recyclability for more than nine cycles. The kinetic studies indicate that diesel oil diffused into the internal layers of AG-CMC Agnp and can be fitted to a pseudo- first order (PFORE) model. Furthermore, isotherm studies were discussed using the Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The result showed that adsorption of diesel oil onto AG-CMC-Agnp could be best fitted with the Langmuir model with a maximum monolayer capacity of 12.26 and 11.04 (exp. 10.95 and 8.95) mg g−1, respectively. The spectral {Infrared (IR), UV–vis and X-Ray powder diffraction (XRD)}, and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs with energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) of AG-CMC-Agnp composite indicated that, upon adsorption, oil molecules are covering the pores on the surface.

Highly efficient removal of crude oil and dissolved hydrocarbons from water using superhydrophobic cotton filters

Superhydrophobic cotton sorbents, reported so far, are prepared via deposition of micro/nanoparticles with superhydrophobicity or covalent grafting of organic polymers on cotton surface. Although such materials have shown high efficiency for capture of floating crude oil from water under static conditions, their use as filters for the removal of crude oil and dissolved hydrocarbons under dynamic conditions has not been demonstrated. Here, we describe novel oil sorbent filters, which are composed of cotton fabrics chemically modified with a superhydrophobic coating based on non-toxic metal ions as binding agents and oleate anions as hydrophobic ligands. The chemical modification procedure is performed through a non-complicated, fast (<1 h), easily scalable and inexpensive aqueous synthetic route. The water contact and sliding angles for the superhydrophobic fabrics were found 152–158˚ and 30˚ respectively. The modified cotton filters were shown to be highly effective in the removal of floating crude oil and dissolved hydrocarbons, both under static and dynamic flow conditions (up to 12 L/h), a feature first time reported. The oil removal capacities achieved were nearly 100% and importantly, the residual concentrations of dissolved hydrocarbons in the treated water were well-below the permissible limits. Overall, the superhydrophobic cotton filters presented here may find applications as stand-alone sorbents for rapidly removing oil spills and dissolved hydrocarbons, representing an environmental-benign alternative to nanomaterial-coated or plastic sorbents that are commonly employed in oil remediation processes.

Kinetic modeling of biosorption for hydrocarbons removal from wastewater using modified logistic equation

Application of raw and modified biomass to remove hydrocarbons from wastewater by adsorption is a common practice. A mathematical modeling of biosorption kinetics is a crucial step to optimize the remediation process. In the present study, kinetic studies were carried out to describe the sorption process of crude oil and water on waste sunflower pith. To increase sorption capacity the pith surface was modified with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and hydrophobic SiO2 nanoparticles. The maximum sorption capacity of raw and modified material was 17.76 and 19.62 g/g for crude oil, respectively. The system reached the equilibrium stage after 24 hours. The uptake profiles have been described by the pseudo-first order rate equation and the pseudo-second order rate equation. The calculated results were compared with experimental data and their fit was poor. To predict biosorption kinetics a new mathematically efficient procedure based on modified logistic equation was developed. The results indicate that the sunflower pith has a great potential for the removal of crude oil from water phase as an eco-friendly process.

Superhydrophobic polyaniline absorbent for solar-assisted adsorption of highly viscous crude oil

The effective removal and recovery of viscous crude oil continue to be an intractable concern, owing to the poor fluidity of viscous crude oil at normal temperature. When frequently used in oil remediation, traditional adsorption materials typically exhibit low absorption efficiency and easily destructible superhydrophobic surfaces. In this work, we constructed a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/polyaniline (PANI)-modified melamine sponge (MS) with a robust superhydrophobic coating by simple polymerization and dip coating. The unique PANI coating endows PDMS/PANI@MS with superior photothermal conversion efficiency and allows the surface equilibrium temperature to quickly rise to 81.8 °C within 2 min under the irradiation of 1 standard sunlight (1 kW/m2). The efficient photothermal conversion allows the absorbent sponge to significantly reduce oil viscosity and facilitate absorption, thus demonstrating an absorption capacity of 11.68 × 105 g/m3, which is superior to those of absorbents reported previously. The excellent reusability conferred by the modified sponge, on the basis of the stable surface structure and good elasticity, demonstrates its potential for application in the remediation of viscous crude oil spills.

Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) dung and their associated fungi: Potential candidates for bio-remediation and nutrients improvement of crude oil contaminated soils

Abstract. Enyiukwu DN, Bassey IN, Nwaogu GA, Asamudo NU, Chukwu LA, Monday EA, Maranzu JO. 2021. Pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) dung and their associated fungi: Potential candidates for bio-remediation and nutrients improvement of crude oil contaminated soils. Biodiversitas 22: 3276-3286. Pig dung a common agro-waste material in Nigeria is associated with many fungal saprophytes. Rising oil spillages and pollution in Nigeria have made cultivation of affected agro-lands un-rewarding. Potentials of pig dung in mitigating crude oil pollution in agro-soils are herein studied. The objectives of this study were to characterize the fungal profile associated with wet and dry dung of pig. And to evaluate the remediating impacts of pig dung and their associated fungi on crude oil and heavy metals contents, physicochemical properties, and phytotoxicity of crude oil polluted soils. Coprophilous fungi were isolated from wet and dry dung by moist chamber technique and identified. Utisoil from Umudike was polluted with crude oil, amended with 10-40% of dry pig dung and sown with soybean (Glycine max L.). The amended and un-amended crude oil contaminated utisols were analyzed to reduce crude oil and heavy metals contents; and physicochemical properties at planting, and harvesting, respectively, using classical and spectrometric methods, and the extent of crude oil and heavy metals removal determined. The percentage germination, height, number of leaves, leaf color, vigor, and biomass of the test crop were recorded from the test plant. The results showed that Aspergillus candidus, Sclerotium sp., Absidia sp., Acremonium sp., Candida tropicalis, C. pseudotropicalis, and Rhizopus oryzae were consistently isolated from the dry dung specimen than the wet one. The results also indicated that the treatments significantly reduced the treated soils' crude oil and heavy metals contents. It revealed that values obtained for residual oil or heavy metals contents of the treated soils and crop performance were inversely and directly related to levels of soil amendment respectively. Crop performance in the amended soil remained statistically (P?0.05) higher compared to the control. Soil analyses showed that the dung treatments significantly increased the values of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, organic carbon, etc. in a directly proportional manner. Therefore, pig dung and their associated fungi hold strong potentials as cheap eco-friendly platforms to provide and stimulate microbial growth, hasten degradation and removal of crude oil and heavy metals from contaminated soils; and thus permit and sustain good performance of arable crops.

Biodegradation of crude oil by immobilized Exiguobacterium sp. AO-11 and shelf life evaluation

Exiguobacterium sp. AO-11 was immobilized on bio-cord at 109 CFU g−1 carrier for the removal of crude oil from marine environments. To prepare a ready-to-use bioremediation product, the shelf life of the immobilized cells was calculated. Approximately 90% of 0.25% (v/v) crude oil removal was achieved within 9 days when the starved state of immobilized cells was used. The oil removal activity of the immobilized cells was maintained in the presence of oil dispersant (89%) and at pH values of 7–9. Meanwhile, pH, oil concentration and salinity affected the oil removal efficacy. The immobilized cells could be reused for at least 5 cycles. The Arrhenius equation describing the relationship between the rate of reaction and temperature was validated as a useful model of the kinetics of retention of activity by an immobilized biocatalyst. It was estimated that the immobilized cells could be stored in a non-vacuum bag containing phosphate buffer (pH 7.0) at 30 °C for 39 days to retain the cells at 107 CFU g−1 carrier and more than 50% degradation activity. These results indicated the potential of using bio-cord-immobilized crude oil-degrading Exiguobacterium sp. AO-11 as a bioremediation product in a marine environment.

Removing Crude Oil from Water by Activated Carbon Prepared From Dried Papyrus Plant

Crude oil pollution is a serious problem that causes severe damage to the environment. The adsorption process by using one of the adsorbents is considered one of the most important and successful methods for getting rid and removing crude oil from the water. In this study, activated carbon was used as a sorbent to clean the water from crude oil. This use of activated carbon is new. Adsorption parameters tested included the contact time on adsorption, sorbent dosage, the impact of pH, and temperature. The removal of crude oil from water by activated carbon was investigated by batch adsorption after varying contact time (5–30 min), adsorbent dosage (5–50 g), pH (2–11), and temperature (10–50 0C). hydrophobicity of carbon has increased very significantly due to the modification that was made on carbon, and this, in turn, led to the creation of a sorbent with a very high ability to remove crude oil from the water and thus increase the adsorption capacity. As the results of the study show that the highest value of adsorption capacity was 96% at contact time 20 min, sorbent dosage (25 g), pH (7), and temperature (30 0C). The prepared adsorbent showed the potential to use as a low-cost adsorbent in oil-spill clean-up.

Efficient treatment of crude oil-contaminated hydrodesulphurization catalyst by using surfactant/solvent mixture

The purpose of this work is to investigate desorption efficiency for regenerating a crude oil-contaminated catalyst by using an ex-situ surfactant/solvent washing technique. We employed six types of surfactants and solvents for optimization, and established an optimal mixture of surfactant and solvent for the removal of crude oil from the contaminated catalyst. The efficiency of the surfactant/solvent mixture for the removal of crude oil from the contaminated catalyst was determined based on the mass ratio of surfactant to solvent, contact time, pH, and temperature. The raw catalyst, crude oil-contaminated catalyst, and after washing catalyst were characterized by interracial rheometer, zeta-potential analyzer, and scanning electron microscope. We found that the Brij-58/1,2-dimethylbenzene mixture could provide superior crude oil removal efficiency. At a higher mass ratio of 1,2-dimethylbenzene, the crude oil removal rate of the contaminated catalyst exceeds 95%. This result is attributed to the addition of the solvent to the surfactant solution. The solvent can significantly decrease the surfactant’s CMC and increase the micelle’s number, thereby enhancing the mixture’s washing efficiency. Since aromatic solvents and crude oil components have similar structures in terms of polarity and aromaticity, the Brij-58/1,2-dimethylbenzene mixed system has a strong affinity for crude oil components.

Utilization of Annona senegalensis as a Sorbent for THE Removal of Crude Oil from Aqueous Media

In the present study, the efficiency of Annona senegalensis fiber to remove crude oil from aqueous solution was evaluated. The crude Annona senegalensis (CAS), retted Annona senegalensis (RAS) and bleach Annona senegalensis (PFAS) were subjected to sorption studies to optimize their sorption capacity. The results revealed that the efficiency of sorbent to remove crude oil from water is related to the sorbent weight, contact time, initial oil concentration and temperature of sorption. It was found out that increase in sorbent weight led to increase in sorption capacity from 3.99-5.25g/g, 5.51-7.12g/g, and 5.01-6.72g/g in CAS, RAS and PFAS respectively. Increased in Initial oil concentration also increased the oil sorption capacity by 20-21% until it reach equilibrium. Sorption time was varied from 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70 minutes and the highest sorption capacity was recorded at 30 minutes before a gradual decreased was observed. Sorption capacity decreased with increased in temperature above 400C. The sorbent exhibited good reusability after 8 cycles, with less than 50 % reduction in sorption capacity. The kinetics of crude oil sorption onto CAS, RAS and PFAS follow the second- order model with correlation coefficients higher than 0.99. The results obtained revealed that crude oil adsorption onto the Annona senegalensis fiber can be used as an effective adsorbent to oil spill cleanup in water bodies.

Enhanced biodegradation of light crude oil by immobilized Bacillus licheniformis in fabricated alginate beads through electrospray technique.

Petroleum contamination of marine environments due to exploitation and accidental spills causes serious harm to ecosystems. Bioremediation with immobilized microorganisms is an environmentally friendly and cost-effective emerging technology for treating oil-polluted environments. In this study, Bacillus licheniformis was entrapped in Ca alginate beads using the electrospray technique for light crude oil biodegradation. Three important process variables, including inoculum size (5-15% v/v), initial oil concentration (1500-3500ppm), and NaCl concentration (0-30g/L), were optimized to obtain the best response of crude oil removal using response surface methodology (RSM) and Box-Behnken design (BBD). The highest crude oil removal of 79.58% was obtained for 1500ppm of crude oil after 14days using immobilized cells, and it was lower for freely suspended cells (64.77%). Our result showed similar trends in the effect of variables on the oil biodegradation rate in both free cell (FC) and immobilized cell (IC) systems. However, according to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) results, the extent of the variables' effectiveness was different in FC and IC systems. In the immobilized cell system, all variables had a greater effect on the rate of light crude oil degradation. Moreover, to evaluate the effectiveness of free and immobilized B. licheniformis in bioremediation of an actual polluted site, the crude oil spill in natural seawater was investigated. The results suggested the stability of beads in the seawater, as well as high degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons by free and immobilized cells in the presence of indigenous microorganisms.

Treatment of Oil Spills and Oily Wastewater by Using some Local Agricultural Wastes.(Dept.P)

Set of tests were conducted using bagasse pith, rice straw, and rice hulls as sorbents for the removal of crude oil, cotton-seed oil, and kerosene present as spills or run-off either on solid surfaces or on bodies of water. Tests were conducted under static conditions at ambient temperature and pressure. These materials were effective within minutes, easily picked up, and easy to handle thereafter. Results indicated that over 95% of the spilled liquid can be removed by using the appropriate mass of the tested material. This mass depends upon type of spilled liquid, type of sorbent used, whether the spilled liquid is on a solid surface or on a body of water, and on the degree of salinity of that water, the operating flexibility inherent to this technique, the local availability and cheapness of the tested materials, the potential use of these materials to remove other oily wastes of various chemical natures and physical forms, and the feasibility of using the exhausted materials as a fuel, makes the obtained results promising and interesting.