Sorbent For Oil Spill Cleanup Research Articles

Laser‐assisted graphene‐like materials for oil‐spill clean up

AbstractConventional synthetic sorbents for oil spill cleanup are the most widely employed materials, although a major drawback is the extensive chemical modification that they have undergone, making them economically and environmentally nonsustainable. The use of inexpensive, abundant, nontoxic, biodegradable, and reusable lignocellulosic materials might be an alternative to conventional sorbents, with obvious positive impact on sustainability and circular economy. The present study subsequently utilizes the well‐established process, of converting grape molasses—a byproduct of the winemaking industry that represents a typical and abundant source of biomass—into a laser‐assisted graphene‐like product (LA‐B). Comparative experiments were carried out with two additional materials that are similarly produced by the same laser‐assisted method, yet use synthetic polyimide foil and tape polymers as precursors, namely LA‐F and LA‐T. The results showed that diesel oil adsorption capacity of LA‐B was 33.5 g/g, while the ultraoleophilic LA‐T adsorbed 57 g/g and LA‐F adsorbed 41 g/g. Furthermore, the crude oil uptake was 31.1, 56.0, and 38.6 g/g for LA‐B, LA‐T, and LA‐F, respectively. The adsorption of oil on the used materials could be well‐described by pseudo‐second‐order kinetics, showing that over 80% of oil was removed from the water within 15 min.

Development of a spiropyran-assisted cellulose aerogel with switchable wettability as oil sorbent for oil spill cleanup

This research presents the successful development and optimization of a spiropyran-assisted cellulose aerogel (CNF-SP) aerogel with UV-induced switchable wettability, and the evaluation of its performance as an effective oil sorbent for oil spill cleanup. The aerogel initially exhibited strong hydrophobicity (124°) and showed UV-induced switchable wettability due to the photo-response structure of spiropyran. Upon UV irradiation, the hydrophobicity of the aerogel could be switched to hydrophilicity (31°), while visible light irradiation could restore its hydrophobicity. The three-dimensional (3D) porous structure of the CNF-SP aerogel combined with the hydrophobic properties of spiropyranol led to its great oil adsorption performance (27–30 g/g of oil adsorption ratio). The central composite design (CCD) was applied to optimize the aerogel and investigate the effects of raw material ratio (i.e., carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxyethyl spiropyran, polyvinyl alcohol, and nano zinc oxide) on the oil sorption performance of the aerogel. The optimized CNF-SP aerogel demonstrated a high oil sorption efficiency, particularly in acid and cold environments. Moreover, the switchable function indicated that the aerogel exhibited reusability and renewability, with the added benefit of UV-induced oil recovery.

Study the characteristics of porcellanite rocks and applied as a sorbent for removing crude oil

ABSTRACT The utilization of porcellanite rocks as a natural inorganic sorbent for crude oil sorption was investigated in this study. The experiments were achieved in batch operation, the efficiency of porcellanite was studied with different quantities of sorbent weight, grain size, mixing times and temperature. The effect of oil–water mixture pH on the sorption effectiveness of porcellanite at various pH value was tested. Porcellanite was chemically treated with HCl and NaOH to enhance the effectiveness of oil removal. The results show that porcellanite had good sorption effectiveness for crude oil at various pH and temperature. The maximum crude oil removal (82.2%) was obtained at a mixing duration of 20 min at room temperature and 3 g raw porcellanite with grain size 250 µm. Under optimized conditions, the raw porcellanite was found to adsorb about 82.2% of oil in the prepared sample. The study demonstrated that porcellanite has significant potential as a low-cost sorbent for oil spill cleanup.

Advanced Synthetic and Bio-Based Sorbents for Oil Spill Clean-up: A Review of Novel Trends

Due to immense population growth and economic development, the use of crude oil for various energy applications has escalated in the past few decades. This has led to the large-scale exploitation of oil reserves which has further resulted in the accidental release of large amounts of oil into our oceans. In recent years, significant emphasis has been placed on processes involving oil sorption by various natural and synthetic sorbents. Several sorbent materials based on synthetic polymers such as polypropylene, polyurethane, polystyrene, etc., possessing three-dimensional porous structure, large surface area, high mechanical strength, and exhibiting good oil recoverability and reusability, have been employed for oil-water separation processes. Conversely, many of these materials in their native or pristine form are amphipathic, which prevents their large-scale use in oil spill clean-up. This has led to researchers exploring surface modifications of commercially available sorbent polymeric materials to enhance their oleophilicity and hydrophobicity. This review article summarizes and discusses recent advances in the strategies for the fabrication of newer surface-modified synthetic polymeric materials and natural bio-based sorbents, and further highlights their effectiveness in dealing with the oil/water separation challenges.

Recent Advances in Biomass-Based Materials for Oil Spill Cleanup.

Oil spill on sea surfaces, which mainly produced by the oil leakage accident happened on tankers, offshore platforms, drilling rigs and wells, has bring irreversible damage to marine environments and ecosystems. Among various spill oil handling methods, using sorbents to absorb and recover spill oils is a perspective method because they are cost-effective and enable a high recovery and without secondary pollution to the ecosystem. Currently, sorbents based on biomass materials have aroused extensively attention thanks to their features of inexpensive, abundant, biodegradable, and sustainable. Herein, we comprehensively review the state-of-the-art development of biomass-based sorbents for spill oil cleanup in the recent five years. After briefly introducing the background, the basic theory and material characteristics for the separation of oil from water and the adsorption of oils is also presented. Various modification methods for biomass materials are summarized in section three. Section four discusses the recent progress of biomass as oil sorbents for oil spill cleanup, in which the emphasis is placed on the oil sorption capacity and the separation efficiency. Finally, the challenge and future development directions is outlined.

Recent advances of textile sorbents for oil spills cleanup: A review

Oil sorbents play a significant role in the treatment processes of oil spills, therefore, enhancing the oil-water separation capacity of sorbents has been charming the consideration of scientific researchers. To improve the properties of oil sorption and simplify the process of oil recovery, many advanced oil sorbent devices have been projected recently. Different types of materials are used as sorbents for oil-water separation, however, up to now, there is no review paper focused on textile (woven, knitting, and nonwoven) sorbents, and compared with them. In this review paper, the classification of textile fabrics, properties of surface wetting, fabrication methods of textile sorbents for oil spill cleanup, their properties, and recent applications in the field of oil cleanup are studied. We believe this review can serve as an essential reference for the formation of textile sorbents, their properties, and their applications in the field of oil spill cleanup.

A sustainable approach to oil spill cleanup by kapok and waste cotton needle punched nonwoven blends

Natural materials that can absorb a large amount of oil have recently received a lot of interest as sorbents to clean up oil spills in seawater. In this work, kapok fibre was blended with different proportions of cotton fibres obtained as blow room waste from the textile industry to prepare nonwovens using carding and needle-punching techniques. The potential for oil sorption, oil retention, and water sorption of kapok/waste cotton nonwovens was investigated. FTIR, SEM, and surface contact angle of the fibres were determined since oil sorption depends on the fibres' physical and chemical properties. The effect of waste cotton and kapok fibre blend ratio on oil sorption and oil retention behaviour of kapok/cotton nonwoven was studied. The maximum oil sorption capacity of blended nonwoven (90/10, kapok/cotton) with areal density (150 GSM or g/m 2 ) was 45.36 g/g, 43.97 g/g, and 39.92 g/g for engine oil, vegetable oil, and diesel oil, respectively. Reusability test results suggest that after ten cycles, the oil absorbency of 150K/C 90/10 was 42.55 g/g, 40.61 g/g, and 36.45 g/g against engine oil, vegetable oil, and diesel oil, respectively. A comparison of the oil sorption capacity of kapok/waste cotton blends with other synthetic (Polypropylene) sorbents was also presented. According to our findings, kapok/waste cotton nonwovens could become an important sorbent for oil spill clean-up. • Sustainable oil sorbent was made from blends of kapok and waste cotton fibres. • The oil-to-pore volume occupied by fibre was explored for oil sorption capacity. • After ten cycles, K/C blend sorbents retained 76 % of engine oil. • The sorbents can be used as biofuel even after 10th cycle.

Composite magnetic sheet as sorbent for oil spill Clean-up

Water is the most vital resource required for the survival. But the cleanliness of this resource has been compromised in the form of oil spills which occurs due to the tanker disaster, transportation and storage of oil. It is extremely urgent to find the effective counter measure for oil spill treatment which aims oil spill-recovery strategy. Out of all the measures, development of a good biodegradable sorbent for spillage has sustained interest. To solve this environmental problem of oil spill, magnetic Sheet was synthesised by using lumen loading procedure using alkali treated bamboo fibers and cobalt ferrite nanoparticles (CoFe 2 O 4 ). Lumen loading permits the ferrite particles to be introduced solely into the lumens of bamboo fibres. For aiming this, CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles were first prepared by the sol–gel method and fibers were pre-treated with 6 % NaOH. Then synthesised ferrites were merged with the fibers. The samples were characterized by employing Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM-EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD). SEM confirms the deposition of cobalt ferrites nano particles on the surface and into the macropores of fibers. The sorption capacity for raw bamboo fibers, alkali treated bamboo fibers and composite sheet was calculated for three different type of oil such as mustard oil, coconut oil and olive oil. The sorption capacity shown by the raw bamboo fiber, 6 % NaOH treated bamboo fiber and composite magnetic sheet was in the range 1.8–2.2 g, 16.2–18.8 g and 1.8–2.4 g of oil per gram of sample respectively. The outcomes propose that the prepared magnetic sheet can be used as absorbent for oil-spill clean-up.

SiO2 aerogels (SAs) coating on the surface of 3D weft-knitted spacer fabrics (WKSFs) used as sorbent in oil spill cleanup

Oily wastewater and advanced manufacturing organic pollutants are posing a serious global threat to the environment. Herein, SiO2 aerogels prepared from tetraethylorthosilicate (C8H20O4Si) by sol-gel method were coated on various 3D weft-knitted spacer fabrics (WKSFs) to study and compare the oil spill cleanup behavior in different temperatures (20 °C, 30 °C, 40 °C, 50 °C, and 60 °C), oil, and water medium. SEM and BET were used to observe the surface morphology and specific surface area of WKSFs. FTIR-ATR and XRD for the microstructure of fabrics were used to characterize the surface changes induced by the silica aerogel coating. TGA was performed to clarify the thermal degradation of WKSFs. The findings demonstrated that entirely the sorbents, particularly sorbent 2, ensured significant oil weight gain (%) and retention rate (%) in all cases. Sorbent 2 (with a weight of 350 g/m2, a thickness of 3 mm, a stitch density of 1.58/inch, a fabric density of 117 kg/m3, and a spacer yarn arrangement angle of 79.96°) showed a higher oil weight gain (%) and retention rate (%) of ((763 ± 2.31 %, 758 ± 2.08 %, and 740 ± 2.52 %) and (88.92 ± 0.87 %, 88.74 ± 0.68 %, and 85.88 ± 1.02 %)) for vegetable oil and ((698 ± 2.65 %, 693 ± 2.52 %, and 673 ± 2.65 %) and (91.18 ± 0.83 %, 90.82 ± 0.75 %, and 88.16 ± 0.90 %)) for engine oil in temperature, oil, and water medium, respectively. The statistical study revealed that coated WKSFs performed significantly at the 0.05 level (P = 0.000). The outcomes also revealed that the varieties of 3D fabric physical structures, specific surface areas, pore sizes, pore volumes, porosity ratios, water contact angles, silica aerogel add-on %, surface roughness, thermal behaviors, temperatures, and oil characteristics all played a significant effect on oil weight gain and retention capacity, especially in the oil spill cleanup performance.

Superhydrophobic polypropylene sorbent derived from discarded face masks: A highly efficient adsorbent for oil spill sorbent.

Globally, an estimated 130 billion face masks are used and disposed of every month. Thus, recycling or upcycling discarded face masks has attracted significant attention due to economic benefits and environmental concerns. To reduce the amount of used face masks going to waste, this study features a superhydrophobic face mask prepared by simple chemical modification with environmentally preferable alkane solvents (n-hexane, n-heptane, and n-decane), that is effective as a sorbent for oil spill cleanup. All alkanes examined increased the surface roughness of the face masks and improved face mask hydrophobicity. The heptane treated face mask (at 90°C for 1h), can adsorbed Arabian light crude oil up to 21 times of their weight on the water surface. In addition, chloroform, toluene, gasoline, and diesel were adsorbed 18, 13, 8 and 16 times, respectively. More importantly, heptane has a high recycling efficiency as a treatment solvent and is reusable for at least 10 cycles of mask surface treatment. Consequently, this inexpensive and easily fabricated material is a promising development in waste face mask (WFM) upcycling.

Investigation of Egyptian Chorisia spp. fiber as a natural sorbent for oil spill cleanup

Egyptian hollow fiber has been explored as natural feasible cellulosic materials that acquired great lumen and hydrophobic characteristics, which empower it to show high oil sorption capacity. The effect of solvent and sodium chlorite treatments and oil type on the sorption characteristics of Egyptian Chorisia spp. hollow fibers have been investigated. The outcomes demonstrate that with the exception of non-polar solvent, ether, Chorisia hollow fiber treated with other solvents show reduction of oil sorption capacity. NaClO2-treated fiber appears the highest and selective absorption of oil from oil/water mixtures and stayed stable after ten sorption/desorption cycles of reutilization with only 15% of sorption limit decrease. Besides, in view of SEM, NaClO2-treated fiber was retained its overall tubular and lumen structures after desorption of oils. These achievements will be reflected in the challenges for purification of other sources of water if there should arise an occurrence of water lack in Egypt.

A Novel Graphite-Based Sorbent for Oil Spill Cleanup.

The performance of an innovative material based on expanded graphite, Grafysorber® G+ (Directa Plus), has been tested through laboratory, tank, and confinement tests for oil removal in case of an oil spill and water treatment. In addition to the ability to retain oil, the possibility of reusing this material after regeneration via squeezing was also evaluated. As a comparison, the same experimental tests were conducted using polypropylene flakes (PP), the material currently most used to deal with spill accidents. Oils with different chemical and physical properties were used, namely kerosene, diesel, and crude oil. From the laboratory tests, the capacity of Grafysorber® G+ to retain oil was found to be directly proportional to the viscosity of the latter, with adsorption values ranging from 76.8 g/g for diesel to 50.8 g/g for kerosene, confirming the potential of the innovative material compared to the PP. Cyclical use tests have confirmed certain reusability of the material, even if its adsorbent capacity decreases significantly after the first cycle and continues to decrease in subsequent cycles, but a less marked manner. Finally, some considerations based on the adsorption capacities were found to suggest that the adoption of the new material is also economically preferable, resulting in savings of 20 to 40% per kg of hydrocarbon treated.

Sio2 Aerogels (Sas) Coating on the Surface of 3d Weft-Knitted Spacer Fabrics (Wksfs) Used as Sorbent in Oil Spill Cleanup

Sio2 Aerogels (Sas) Coating on the Surface of 3d Weft-Knitted Spacer Fabrics (Wksfs) Used as Sorbent in Oil Spill Cleanup

Sio2 Aerogels (Sas) Coating on the Surface of 3d Weft-Knitted Spacer Fabrics (Wksfs) Used as Sorbent in Oil Spill Cleanup

Sio2 Aerogels (Sas) Coating on the Surface of 3d Weft-Knitted Spacer Fabrics (Wksfs) Used as Sorbent in Oil Spill Cleanup

Solvent-free acetylation of Ensete ventricosum plant fibre to enhance oleophilicity

Acetylation, as a well-established method of fibre modification, is used to overcome the hydrophilic nature of cellulosic fibres and impart oleophilicity. Extension of this method to modify lignocellulosic fibres became the current interest of various researches. To the best of our knowledge, modification of Ensete ventricosum plant (EV) fibre using acetic anhydride was hitherto unexplored. In this work, EV fibre was effectively acetylated with acetic anhydride using N-bromosuccinimide (NBS) as a catalyst and the potential of modified EV fibre for oil sorption was further studied. Effects of temperature, time and liquid-to-material ratio (LMR) on weight percent gain (WPG) and oil absorptivity (OA) of the modified EV fibre were investigated. The changes in morphological, structural and thermal properties of modified EV fibre, in comparison to untreated fibre, were further analysed using FTIR, XRD, TGA and SEM. Solvent free acetylation at 120 °C for 3 h with LMR of 30:1 using 2% w/v NBS resulted WPG of 14.1% and OA of 19.7 g oil/g fibre. The modified material showed good reusability as a low cost biodegradable oil sorbent in oil spill clean-up.

Development of Bio-degradable Cotton Waste based Super Oleophilic and Super Hydrophobic Sorbent for Oil Spill Clean-up

Development of Bio-degradable Cotton Waste based Super Oleophilic and Super Hydrophobic Sorbent for Oil Spill Clean-up

Application of Sorbents for Oil Spill Cleanup Focusing on Natural-Based Modified Materials: A Review.

Conventional synthetic sorbents for oil spill removal are the most widely applied materials, although they are not the optimal choices from an economic and environmental point of view. The use of inexpensive, abundant, non-toxic, biodegradable, and reusable lignocellulosic materials might be an alternative to conventional sorbents, with obvious positive impact on sustainability and circular economy. The objective of this paper was to review reports on the use of natural-based adsorbing materials for the restoration of water bodies threatened by oil spills. The use of raw and modified natural sorbents as a restoration tool, their sorption capacity, along with the individual results in conditions that have been implemented, were examined in detail. Modification methods for improving the hydrophobicity of natural sorbents were also extensively highlighted. Furthermore, an attempt was made to assess the advantages and limitations of each natural sorbent since one material is unlikely to encompass all potential oil spill scenarios. Finally, an evaluation was conducted in order to outline an integrated approach based on the terms of material–environment–economy.

Polypropylene/lignin blend monoliths used as sorbent in oil spill cleanup

With increasing industrial development, frequent oil spillages in water; therefore, it is imperative and challenging to develop absorbents materials that are eco-efficiency, cost-effective, and pollution prevention. In this study, sorbents obtained from Lignin incorporated with Polypropylene in different levels loading 0, 10, 20 % wt using thermally induced phase separation Technique (TIPS). The Polypropylene/Lignin blend monoliths were fabricated and compared in terms of morphological, thermal, and wetting characterizations. The successfully blending of different lignin concentrations with preserved the chemical structure of the polymer was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Thermogravimetric tests displayed that the existence of Lignin has changed the onset temperature (Tonset) of the blending sorbents, decreasing as the loading of Lignin is increased. The contact angle measurement showed a decrease in the hydrophobicity of sorbents with increasing lignin loading, Polypropylene/Lignin blend monoliths showed better absorption toward oils (soybean – engine) as compared to Polypropylene itself. PP10L showed an improvement in the oil sorption capacity around 2 times compared to the Polypropylene. These excellent features make Polypropylene/Lignin blend monoliths more competitive promising candidates than commercial absorbent.

Assessment of milkweed floss as a natural hollow oleophilic fibrous sorbent for oil spill cleanup

Natural oil sorbent materials with a high oil sorption capacity have recently received remarkable attention for oil spill cleanup from seawater. This study reports on the development of a superhydrophobic hollow cellulosic fiber that could serve as an oil spill cleanup material. As oil sorption is based on the physical and chemical characteristics of the sorbent, FTIR, SEM, XRD, and surface contact angle of the fibers were determined. A series of tests were then carried out to analyze the sorption capacity, dynamic oil retention, and reusability. Subsequently, the effect of the fibers’ weight on the amount of oil absorption and absorption time was investigated. The wettability analyses showed that the milkweed floss fiber possessed a superhydrophobic characteristic (with the water contact angle of 140°). The empty channel of the fiber was more than 90% of its total volume. The hydrophobicity and capillary properties helped the fibers to absorb up to 100 g/g of oil, which was higher than that obtained by many natural cellulosic fibers.

Natural Wool for Removal of Oil Spills from Water Surface

Romanian Merino wool was tested as a natural sorbent for oil spill cleanup. Rebco crude oil placed in distilled water was used as an oily water model. Experiments of batch sorption were performed under various conditions. The effects of process factors, i.e., initial density of packed bed sorbent (0.05-0.99 g/cm3), initial volume ratio of oil and water (0.25 and 0.14 cm3/cm3), and contact surface between adsorbent and oily water, on wool sorption capacity (6.4-11.8 g/g) were evaluated. Experimental data were fitted using pseudo-first order rate and pseudo-second order rate models.