Oil Spill Cleanup Research Articles

Tailored Nanofibrous Polyimide-Based Membranes for Highly Effective Oil Spill Cleanup in Marine Ecosystems

Oil spills pose significant environmental threats to marine ecosystems and indirectly affect human health. They are often caused by tanker accidents and pipeline leaks. The persistence of hydrocarbons in the marine environment and their long-term ecological impacts necessitate efficient remediation strategies. Nanofibrous membranes made from polyimides with varying hydrophobicity present a promising solution for oil spill cleanup and oil/water separation. In this study, electrospun nanofibrous membranes were fabricated using 4,4'-(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride (6FDA) combined with 3,5-diamino-2,4,6-trimethylbenzenesulfonic acid (TrMSA) and 2,3,5,6- tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD) to produce bead-free nanofibers at optimized concentrations. These membranes exhibited hydrophobic characteristics and high oil absorption capabilities. The 6FDA-TMPD membrane achieved a maximum adsorption capacity of 76.50 ± 7.32 g g-1 for Varinca crude oil, while the 6FDA-TrMSA membrane reached 80.05 ± 6.60 g g-1. In comparison, the commercial 3M™ oil sorbent had a significantly lower capacity of 29.4 ± 3.8 g g-1 for the same oil. The nanofibrous membranes also demonstrated superior performance in adsorbing gasoline and diesel and maintained their effectiveness across multiple cycles, highlighting their potential to mitigate the environmental impact of oil spills.

Biomass-Based Sorbent with Superoleophilic from Ulva Prolifera for Oil Spill Cleanup

In this study, we demonstrate a new all bio-based adsorbent material by treating Enteromorpho prolifera (EP) fibers with tannic acid-ferric chloride complex and then grafting hydrophobic group octadecylamine. All raw materials are easily available, low-cost, and safe. The modified EP fibers have approximately 63.4 g g−1 of oil absorption and 1.4 g g−1 of water absorption, which is an 62.8% increase in oil absorption and an 82% increase in hydrophobicity over that of untreated EP fibers, respectively, exhibiting high hydrophobicity and oleophilicity. The affinity discrimination to water and oil enables hydrophobic algae candidate materials to separate oils and water efficiently, both in an oil–water mixture and a water-in-oil emulsion. In summary, the as-synthesized modified EP demonstrates a broad application prospect in the treatment of oil spill accidents and oily wastewater.

Exploring the Potential of Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate—Lignocellulose/Carbon Nanotube–Graphene Nanosheets an Efficient Extractor for Oil Spill

The global challenge of oil spill treatment has been addressed using nanocomposite-based natural fibers. These materials offer great potential in oil spill cleanup and are considered due to their environmental friendliness, high efficiency, and low cost. Thus, the current study reports a novel composite fabricated from date palm fiber (DPF) and recycled polyethylene terephthalate (rPET) with a proper combination of a mixture of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and graphene nanosheets (GNSs) for oil removal. The established nanocomposite (DPF-rPET/CNT/GNS) was fabricated via physical mixing of various quantities (0.9, 0.8, and 0.7 g) of PET, along with varying loads of DPF at different proportions of CNT:GNS. The prepared nanocomposite (DPF-rPET/CNT/GNS) was fully characterized using scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX) analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) analysis. In static experiments and under the optimal parameters of pH, sorbent doze, shaking time, and quantity of diesel oil), the established sorbent (DPF-rPET/CNT-GNS nanocomposite) displayed excellent adsorption capacity (98 mg/g). This study also expands the utility of the sorbent for the reusability of the oil adsorption, maintaining performance after five cycles. The adsorption data fitted well with the Langmuir isotherm model with a correlation coefficient (R2) of 0.99 and maximum adsorption capacity of 99.7 mg/g, indicating monolayer adsorption. Additionally, the adsorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model, with an R2 near unity and an adsorption capacity of 99.09 mg/g. This study highlights the promising potential of the DPF-rPET/CNT-GNS composite as an effective adsorbent for treating oily water.

Facile fabrication of green and sustainable gelatin-based aerogels for marine oil spill recovery

Efficient and rapid cleanup of marine oil spills is crucial for environmental protection and resource recovery. Biomass aerogel has a broad application prospect in oil spill treatment, but is often limited by the complex preparation process and the use of toxic cross-linking agents. In this study, the hydrophobic gelatin-based aerogels (HGAs) were simply prepared for marine oil spill recovery based on self-crosslinking of gelatin, bubbles produced by surfactants and high-speed stirring, and chemical vapor deposition using methyl trichlorosilane (MTCS). The results showed that the HGAs exhibited a three-dimensional porous structure with a water contact angle of 131.6°. Their adsorption capacities for various oils and organic solvents ranged from 60.4 to 146.5 g/g, which was linearly related to the oil density and depended on the number of pores within the material. The oil adsorption by the HGAs reached equilibrium within 30 s, following the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and the HGAs were highly stable in different temperature, pH, and salinity conditions. Simple squeezing can recover 80 % of the spilled oil, and retain 86 % of the initial adsorption capacity after 10 adsorption-squeeze cycles. Additionally, the HGAs had an excellent continuous oil-water separation performance, demonstrating significant potential and practicability in marine oil spill recovery.

Synthesis And Efficiency Evaluation of Chitosan-Alginate Hydrogel Polyelectrolyte Complex Filter for Treatment of Oil Spillage

Crude oil spills pose considerable environmental concerns thereby demanding the development of effective, sustainable, and eco-friendly remediation solutions. In this study, we synthesized and evaluated the efficiency of a biodegradable polymer filter using sodium alginate and chitosan for the treatment of oil spillage. The sodium alginate-chitosan hydrogel polyelectrolyte complex (SACHPC) filter was synthesized via dipping method using a layer-by-layer self-assembly technique integrated with cotton wool as the filter medium. The efficiency of the filter was evaluated based on flow rate of recovered oil and reusability of the filter. Simulated oil spillage of 0.5 M was subjected to filtration using the SACHPC filter. The flow rate was determined based on the time taken for 1 L of oil to pass through the filter. The SACHPC filter exhibited underwater superoleophobic behaviour with exceptional filtration efficiency (> 98.3%) in acidic, neutral and alkaline conditions (pH 3, 7 and 11). The flow rate of the filter was 120 mL/min, while the third-use filter exhibited a decrease flow rate of 50 ml/min. Moreover, the filter achieved an impressive crude oil recovery rate of 85%. X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed crude oil adsorption in the presence of an amorphous phase while scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed the structural morphology of the SACPHC filter. Overall, the SACHPC filter maintained high filtration efficiency thereby offering a sustainable strategy for oily wastewater purification and oil spill clean-up.

Magnetically separable sorbent based on activated carbon derived from a new precursor Rhizoclonium hookeri for facile oil spill clean-up

A huge quantity of synthetic toxic materials ends-up in water bodies causing long-lasting environmental and economic impacts due to catastrophic oil spill. Exploring marine algae as sorbent materials for oil spill remediation is a relatively new area and holds great potential. Herein, macroalgae Rhizoclonium hookeri (RH) derived magnetically recoverable RH-activated carbon (RHAC@Fe3O4) composite has been proposed as an innovative and robust strategy for oil spill clean-up. The application of RHAC@Fe3O4 composite was investigated for oil removal by varying time (10–60 min), dosage (0.2–1 g) and temperature (20, 30, 40 °C) to ascertain its optimal performance using both unused and used motor oil. Characterization studies showed that KOH activation resulted in developing pore structure and surface functionalities in the algal biochar. The percentage of oil uptake from simulated oil spill was over 90 % in 30 min at room temperature using 0.8 g composite. Moreover, Fe3O4 loading onto carbon material allowed magnetic separation as a convenient alternative to filtration for the recovery of oil laden composite. Apart from superior oil removal ability, synthesized composite demonstrated robust performance up to four cycles in synthetic sea water matrices. Comparative study revealed better oil sequestration efficiency of RHAC@Fe3O4 (93 %) as compared to its precursors, i.e. algal biochar (71 %) and AC (88 %). Based on these findings, it is advocated that designed RHAC@Fe3O4 composite being eco-friendly, economical and readily recoverable with enhanced oil uptake ability could potentially be an innovative platform for oil spill clean-up applications.

Synthesis of magnetic polystyrene nanocomposite by emulsion polymerization using a photo-responsive emulsifier for efficient crude oil absorption

Both human health and marine life are seriously threatened by crude oil spills into bodies of water. For effective crude oil spill cleaning, we created a magnetic polystyrene (m-PS) nanocomposite. The use of magnetic nanoparticles makes crude oil absorption more environmentally friendly by making it easier to collect and recycle using an external magnetic field. To make Fe3O4 nanoparticles compatible with the hydrophobic styrene monomer used in emulsion polymerization, they were treated using a hydrophobic surface modification reaction. This alteration facilitated the grafting of polystyrene (PS) chains onto the nanoparticles, which then underwent emulsion polymerization. As an emulsifier, a light-responsive amphiphilic block copolymer containing coumarin was created via reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization. This allowed for regulated emulsification and demulsification in response to UV stimulation. The synthesized m-PS nanocomposite demonstrated a crude oil absorption capacity of up to 2.31 times of its own weight, indicating its high efficiency for crude oil spill cleanup. The synthetic emulsifier exhibited a significantly lower critical micelle concentration compared to the commercial P105 emulsifier (0.0976 against 0.354 mg/mL, respectively), indicating higher efficiency and reduced environmental impact. For a more thorough comprehension of the reported results, we also assessed the Hofmeister effect in PS produced using commercial and synthetic emulsifiers.

Enhanced Hydrophobicity and Oleophilicity of Modified Activated Carbons Derived from Agro-Wastes Biomass for the Removal of Crude Oil from Aqueous Medium

Crude oil spillage has tremendous environmental impacts and poses severe pollution problems worldwide due to the continuous activities and operations in the oil and gas sector. This has resulted in the urgent need for clean-up techniques such as the use of natural adsorbents which is considered a relatively low-cost, readily-available, efficient, eco-friendly, and easy-to-deploy mode of addressing oil spillage due to its high oil sorption capacity/efficiency, high oil selectivity, oleophilic, enduring, reusability and biodegradable properties. Empty palm fruit bunch and coconut coir were used as precursors to produce activated carbons for oil spill remediation. The influence of varying parameters was investigated using a batch experimental procedure resulting in the crude oil adsorption capacity increasing with a corresponding increase in contact time, initial oil concentration, temperature, agitation speed, and particle size but decreasing in adsorbent dosage. The combination of surface morphological modification and hydrophobicity enhancement resulted in significantly improved adsorption capacity for crude oil removal (2710.0 mg/g and 4859.5 mg/g for EPFBAC<SUB>LA</SUB> and CCAC<SUB>L.A</SUB> respectively), as evidenced by both FTIR and SEM analyses. The experimental isotherm data were analysed using various isotherm models and the best-fitted isotherm model was the Freundlich model with a correlation coefficient (R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.991 and R<sup>2 </sup>= 0.999) for EPFB<SUB>L.A</SUB> and CCAC<SUB>L.A</SUB> respectively. The kinetic behaviour of the adsorption process was best described by pseudo-second order with R<sup>2</sup> values of 0.970 and 0.999 for EPFBAC<SUB>LA</SUB> and CCAC<SUB>L.A</SUB> respectively while Boyd model revealed that the adsorption was controlled by an internal transport mechanism and film diffusion was the rate-limiting step. The crude oil adsorption was chemisorption and endothermic owing to the positive enthalpy values (ΔH<sup>o</sup> = 183.890 KJ/mol for EPFBAC<SUB>L.A </SUB>and ΔH<sup>o</sup> = 69.656 KJ/mol for CCAC<SUB>L.A</SUB>), the positive value of entropy suggested that the adsorption process was accompanied by an increase in the degree of randomness or disorder at the interface between the adsorbent and the adsorbate. A temperature rise led to a decline in Gibbs energy (ΔG<sup>o</sup>), suggesting that adsorption became more feasible and spontaneous at higher temperatures and the significant activation energies indicated the existence of a substantial energy barrier that must be overcome to initiate the reaction. The results showed the significant capability of the prepared adsorbents to be used as a low-cost, re-generable and eco-friendly adsorbent in oil spill clean-up and is recommended to exploit its usage on a large scale.

Enhancing mechanical properties of cellulose acetate/carbon black nanofibers for oil spill cleanup

Oil contamination caused by various oil-related industries and domestic usage is one of the major global challenges that threaten the environment. Therefore, employing efficient and environmentally friendly methods for oil removal from oily water is crucial. Nanofibers offer suitable mediums for such applications due to their low fiber diameter and high surface area. Herein, mechanically enhanced carbon black (CB) loaded-cellulose acetate (CA) nanofiber mats were developed for oil removal applications. Initially, CA/CB nanofibers were fabricated from 15% wt. CA solutions containing 2% wt. CB. To improve the mechanical properties, the samples were treated in an ethanol:acetone bath for 2 and 4h. Increasing post-treatment duration increased the nanofiber diameters from 438 nm to 601 nm and decreased porosities from 75% to 66%. The post-treatments improved the mechanical properties of the samples and the highest modulus was achieved as 20.85 MPa. The water and oil contact angles increased from 86° to 102° and 61° to 80°, respectively. The liquid absorption and retention capacities of the samples were evaluated by immersing them in water, seawater, waste oil, and their emulsions. Despite their lower initial oil absorption compared to the non-treated one, post-treated samples still retained large amounts of oil at the end of 24 h.

Acute gastrointestinal symptoms associated with oil spill exposures among U.S. coast guard responders to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill

PurposeResearch investigating gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms from oil spill-related exposures is sparse. We evaluated prevalent GI symptoms among U.S. Coast Guard responders deployed to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill cleanup. MethodsCrude oil (via skin contact, inhalation, or ingestion routes), combined crude oil/oil dispersant exposures, other deployment exposures, deployment characteristics, demographics, and acute GI symptoms during deployment (i.e., nausea/vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, and constipation) were ascertained cross-sectionally via a post-deployment survey (median time between deployment end and survey completion 185 days) (N = 4885). Log-binomial regression analyses were employed to calculate prevalence ratios (PRs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CI). Effect modification was evaluated. ResultsIn adjusted models, responders in the highest (versus lowest) tertile of self-reported degree of skin contact to crude oil were more than twice as likely to report nausea/vomiting (PR=2.45; 95 %CI, 1.85–3.23), diarrhea (PR=2.40; 95 %CI, 2.00–2.88), stomach pain (PR=2.51; 95 %CI, 2.01–3.12), and constipation (PR=2.21; 95 %CI, 1.70–2.89). Tests for trend were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Results were similar for crude oil exposure via inhalation and ingestion. Higher PRs for all symptoms were found with combined crude oil/dispersant exposure than with crude oil exposure alone. ConclusionsThese results indicate positive associations between self-reported crude oil and combined crude oil/oil dispersant exposures and acute GI symptoms.

Biomimetic structural aerogel derived from green tide enteromorpha-prolifera: Multi-sided unidirectional freeze casting and solar-driven viscous oil spill remediation

The development of environmental remediation materials from renewable biowaste, especially for the cleanup of viscous oil spills in an eco-friendly manner, marks a substantial advancement in functional materials. This study proposes a biomass aerogel (M−MCEP) transformed from Enteromorpha prolifera (EP) in green tides for solar-driven recovery of high-viscosity oil spills. Inspired by the lamella-bridge architecture of Thalia dealbata stems, a biomimetic structure with multi-domain, long-range aligned lamella-bridge interconnections is constructed by a multi-sided unidirectional freeze-casting technique. Multi-scale interface optimization between rigid photothermal fillers and soft lamellar layers achieves multiple reinforcements, providing aerogel with a perfect balance of elasticity and strength. The multidomain low tortuosity channels and photothermal effects enhance M−MCEP’s photothermal conversion (95.2 %) and thermal conductivity (0.3517 W/m·K), reducing oil flow resistance and achieving high oil retention efficiency (>92 %). Under 1 sun irradiation, M−MCEP rapidly heats to 67.3 °C, effectively reducing the viscosity of crude oil in situ, with a crude oil adsorption rate of 1843 mL/m2 within 30 s. Moreover, M−MCEP captures emulsified oil in oil-in-water emulsions through high-speed repeated oscillations, achieving a separation efficiency of 96.42–99.21 %. Renewable resources and unique structural designs provided by nature drive the development of advanced biomimetic aerogels for efficiently remedying catastrophic oil spills.

Controllable Oil Adsorption from water Using Hydrophobic (Paraffin/Stearic Acid)/CoFe2O4 Magnetized Fibril Wax

Abstract The development of efficient oil-water separation techniques is critical for mitigating environmental pollution from industrial oily wastewater. This study synthesized a hydrophobic and oleophilic (paraffin/stearic acid) (Par/St)/CoFe2O4 magnetized fibril wax for controllable adsorption and removal of waste engine oil from water. Structural and morphological characterization confirmed the successful incorporation of 30 wt% CoFe2O4 nanoparticles into the Par/St wax matrix with fibril morphology. Structural and morphological characterization using TEM, UV-Vis, FTIR, XRD, and SEM consistently confirmed the successful integration of CoFe2O4 nanoparticles into the Par/St wax matrix, forming fibrils with a high surface area. The oleophilic fibril demonstrated rapid adsorption and excellent removal efficiency of 99% for waste engine oil within 30 seconds. The fibrils could be magnetically guided for oil collection, ensuring reusable and eco-friendly oil remediation. This work introduces a novel solution for controllable oil spill clean-up and oily wastewater treatment.

Oil spill cleanup: A review

Oil spill cleanup: A review

Remediation of seawater polluted by oil spills via integrating porous materials with phase-change materials

The cleanup of viscous oil spills, especially in frigid regions, presents significant challenges due to the low fluidity of the oil. While the integration of absorption materials with photo/electric thermal conversion has shown significant promise, its effectiveness can be greatly influenced by environmental factors. To address these challenges, this study introduces an innovative solution: three-dimensional porous materials (3D-PMs) combined with phase change materials (PCMs). By utilizing energy pre-stored in PCMs through sunlight irradiation or electric heating, heat can be efficiently released when 3D-PMs come into contact with crude oil. A novel superhydrophobic melamine sponge (PPCPP@MS), composed of polypyrrole (PPy) and polyethylene glycol (PEG), has been developed for this purpose. The PPy polymerization layer reliably converts light/electricity into heat, while the PEG‑carbon nanotube (CNT) composite coating layer facilitates heat storage and release. This innovative design significantly enhances safety, energy utilization efficiency, and operational effectiveness. Furthermore, COMSOL simulation was employed to the interfacial heat transfer and phase transformation process of PPCPP@MS during crude oil absorption. Demonstrating stable heat release and oil-adsorbing performance in simulated low-temperature marine environments, PPCPP@MS exhibits great potential for addressing oil spills in extreme climates. The innovative design of PPCPP@MS offers crucial insights for managing viscous oil spills, particularly in frigid regions, providing a promising approach in environmental protection and remediation efforts.

Co-pyrolysis development of waste tire-sludge adsorbent by mixed of waste tires and oily sludge

To facilitate resource utilization of waste tires (WT) and oily sludge (OS), waste tire-sludge adsorbent (WTSA) was developed using co-pyrolysis technology, and its effectiveness in adsorbing crude oil was investigated. The study revealed that the optimal preparation conditions for WTSA included a 1.5:1 mass ratio of WT to OS, a co-pyrolysis temperature of 600 ℃, a co-pyrolysis holding time of 2 hours, and a co-pyrolysis heating rate of 15 ℃/min. The surface of WTSA exhibited numerous pores and cracks with varying shapes and sizes. The dominant pore structures were found to be mesopores and macropores. The carbon content of WTSA was measured to be 89.95%. Moreover, the BET specific surface area, pore volume, and average pore size were determined to be 686.81 m2/g, 0.74 cm3/g, and 5.91 nm, respectively. In the crude oil adsorption test, WTSA demonstrated a comparable adsorption capacity to activated carbon (AC), but with a more attractive initial adsorption rate. Furthermore, thermal regeneration treatment was found to significantly enhance the lipophilic properties of WTSA, leading to an increase in its initial adsorption rate. The adsorption capacity of regenerated WTSA was also found to be relatively stable, making it an ideal solution for emergency crude oil spill cleanups. Compared to AC, WTSA can be recycled and reused multiple times, making it a more sustainable and cost-effective option.

Synthesis and Characterization of Highly Fluorinated Hydrophobic Rare-Earth Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs).

Tuning a material's hydrophobicity is desirable in several industrial applications, such as hydrocarbon storage, separation, selective CO2 capture, oil spill cleanup, and water purification. The introduction of fluorine into rare-earth (RE) metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) can make them hydrophobic. In this work, the linker bis(trifluoromethyl)terephthalic acid (TTA) was used to make highly fluorinated MOFs. The reaction of the TTA and RE3+ (RE: Y, Gd, or Eu) ions resulted in the primitive cubic structure (pcu) exhibiting RE dimer nodes (RE-TTA-pcu). The crystal structure of the RE-TTA-pcu was obtained. The use of the 2-fluorobenzoic acid in the synthesis resulted in fluorinated hexaclusters in the face-centered cubic (fcu) framework (RE-TTA-fcu), analogous to the UiO-66 MOF. The RE-TTA-fcu has fluorine on the linker as well as in the cluster. The MOFs were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and contact angle measurements.

Polystyrene infused with functionalized reduced graphene oxide as a reusable oil sorbent

Adsorption has been reported to be optimal among oil spill cleanup methods due to its simplicity, low capital and operational cost, high removal efficiency and environmental friendliness. However, its continuous usage has been linked to generation of enormous waste, after oil spill cleanup, to which use of reusable oil sorbents has been proposed as a possible solution. Synthetic organic oil sorbents have high mechanical properties compared to other categories of oil sorbents, but they suffer low adsorptive capacities. To address this problem, among other nanoparticles, rGO have been infused in polymeric materials to produce composite oil sorbents characterized with high adsorptive capacities. In this research, surface modified rGO was infused in waste expanded polystyrene, to produce electrospun PS/FrGO composite sorbents by solution blending and electrospinning method. Adsorptive capacities of produced composites were evaluated in four oil samples. Functionalization of rGO was found to cause removal of residual oxygen containing functional groups such as hydroxyl (–OH), and resulted in more hydrophobic surface. Infusion of FrGO, in waste expanded polystyrene resulted into composites with increased surface area, from 71.50 m2/g for pure PS20 to 353.45 m2/g, 429.18 m2/g, 456.14 m2/g for PS20 infused with 1, 2 and 4wt% of FrGO. Increase in oil sorption capacities of the composite, observed in four oil samples corresponds to improved surface area. Produced composites show good recyclability in the four oil samples, at least up to the third sorption cycle.Graphical

Efficient oil spill cleanup from water: Investigating the effectiveness of a sustainable anti-swelling hydrogel for rapid water repellency and oil absorption

Considering the significant harm caused to aquatic ecosystems and marine life by oil spills and the discharge of oily wastewater, there is a pressing need to address this issue to protect our environment and prevent the wastage of valuable resources. We introduced a two-step approach to create an anti-swelling, water-repellent sorbent using a green polysaccharide called gum gellan, functionalized with Octadecyl trichlorosilane (OTS) through dip coating method. Natural gums like gellan have high absorption capability due to their large surface area. However, they are hydrophilic, which means they can only absorb water. This property makes them unsuitable for oil spill applications. To make gum gellan suitable for oil spill applications, we have modified it in this study. We have introduced a material called octadecyltrichlorosilane, which has low surface energy and hierarchical roughness. This modification changes the wettability of gellan from hydrophilic to hydrophobic/oleophilic, allowing it to absorb oil and repel water. The sorbent is analyzed using several techniques, such as FTIR, XRD, TGA, FE-SEM, BET, Raman, EDX, and H1-NMR. The hydrophobic sorbent obtained demonstrates low density, high surface area, and high porosity. These characteristics give it excellent floatability and immediate and exceptional selectivity for absorbing oil from water. Additionally, it does not absorb any detectable amount of water. The sorbent exhibited a water contact angle (WCA) of 140 ± 3 ° and an oil contact angle (OCA) of 0° for various oils and organic solvents. It has rapid oil absorption capacity of 3.72 g/g for diesel, and can be easily recovered after use. The BET analysis revealed that after the modification with OTS, the sorbent's total surface area increased from 0.579 m2/g to 4.713 m2/g. This indicates that the OTS modification greatly enhances the surface area and pore volume of the, thus improving its ability to absorb oil. This sorbent efficiently separates oil-in-water emulsions, both surfactant-stabilized and surfactant-free, achieving over 90% separation through gravity alone. Moreover, the sorbent can sustain its wettability even under harsh environmental conditions, including exposure to acids, alkalis, and salts. The absorption data predominantly aligned with the pseudo-2nd-order model. Thus, this sorbent provides a cost-effective alternative for efficiently absorbing and separating oil-water emulsions in households and industries.

Fine particulate matter from burning oil and gas and neurological symptoms among oil spill cleanup workers

Fine particulate matter from burning oil and gas and neurological symptoms among oil spill cleanup workers

Modification of polyurethane foams with zinc sulfide nanoparticles and their novel composites with multani mitti and charcoal for oil spill cleanup.

With the rapid growth of the automobile industry, the excessive number of industrial pollutants, particularly oil spills, has become a huge threat to the natural environment. Therefore, an environmentally benign and sustainable solution is required for an effective oil spill cleanup. To enhance the sorption capacity of pristine polyurethane (PU) foam used in oil spill cleanup, ZnS nanoparticles were deposited on PU foam via a coprecipitation approach. Additionally, the effect of Fuller's earth, locally known as Multani Mitti (MM), and charcoal (CC) on the sorption properties of the PU foam were investigated and compared. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) was used as a binder during the modification procedure. The morphology, chemical composition, and thermal stability of ZnS/MM/PVA- and ZnS/CC/PVA-modified PU sorbents were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS). The modified PU foam exhibited outstanding properties including a high sorption capacity, high selectivity to different types of used oils such as vegetable oil, hydraulic oil, lube oil, and gear oil, and superior reusability in comparison to pristine PU foam. ZnS/CC/PVA has a sorption capacity of 16.78 g g-1 while ZnS/MM/PVA exhibited a sorption capacity of 16 g g-1. In addition, after 10 cycles of oil sorption-squeezing experiments, the oil sorption capacity remained unchanged, and the absorbed used oil could be removed and collected by an easy squeezing procedure prior to reuse. This work reveals that the ZnS/CC/PVA- and ZnS/MM/PVA-modified PU foams have a promising potential for oil spill removal and environmental protection.