Application of Cogon Grass (Imperata cylindrica) as Biosorbent in Diesel-Filter System for Oil Spill Removal

Imperata cylindrica, often known as cogon grass, is a low-cost and useful sorbent for absorbing oil and optimising processes. The effects of temperature, time, packing density and oil concentration on oil absorption efficiency were investigated and optimised utilising one-factor-at-a-time (OFAT) and response surface methodology (RSM) approaches. Temperature and oil concentration are two important variables in the oil absorption process. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis were used to characterise cogon grass. After treatment and oil absorption, the FTIR method indicated new formation and deformation of functional groups, while SEM revealed changes in the surface and texture of cogon grass, including a roughened and jagged surface. Validation of the RSM model yielded 93.54% efficiency with 22.45 mL oil absorbed at 128 °C temperature and 36 (v/v)% oil concentration while keeping packing density and time constant at 30 min and 0.20 g/cm3, respectively. This study may provide an insight into the usefulness of a statistical approach to maximise the oil absorption of cogon grass as an oil sorbent.

Studies on needle punched nonwoven fabrics made from natural fiber blends for oil sorbent applications

Oil retention of needle punched nonwoven fabrics made from coarse cotton, fine cotton, jute, kapok and its blends were reported. Based on the previous research work, oil retention of nonwoven fabrics is highly influenced by fiber diameter, fabric porosity and oil properties. In this study blended needle punched nonwoven samples were produced using fibers with wide variation in fiber diameter. Coarse jute fiber was blended with fine fibers of cotton and kapok to improve structural stability after sorption of oil. Needle punched nonwoven fabrics were produced using jute fiber ratio of 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% with 25% kapok, 25% coarse cotton and remaining fine cotton fibers. Oil retention capacities of needle punched nonwoven fabrics were found to be in the range of 7.75 g/g to 16.60 g/g under various process conditions. It has been noted that an increase in the jute fiber content in the nonwoven fabrics increases the oil retention capacity of the samples. Jute fibers act as columns in fiber structural assembly and it is the stiffer fiber than other three fibers used in the needle punched nonwovens. Thickness of nonwoven needle punched fabrics change after sorption of oil from 1.5% to 5%, which reduced on increasing jute fiber content in the blends.

Highly Hydrophobic Polydimethylsiloxane-Coated Expanded Vermiculite Sorbents for Selective Oil Removal from Water

Naturally abundant vermiculite clay was expanded by using an aqueous solution of H2O2 and its surface was modified with ultra-thin polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using facile thermal vapor deposition to prepare an ecologically friendly, low-cost oil sorbent that plays an important role in oil spillage remediation. The resulting PDMS-coated expanded vermiculite (eVMT@PDMS) particles exhibited adequate hydrophobicity and oleophilicity for oil/water separation, with numerous conical slit pores (a size of 0.1–100 μm) providing a great sorption capacity and an efficient capillarity-driven flow pathway for oil collection. Simply with using a physically-packed eVMT@PDMS tube (or pouch), selective oil removals were demonstrated above and beneath the surface of the water. Furthermore, these sorbents were successfully integrated and then applied to the advanced oil-collecting devices such as a barrel-shaped oil skimmer and a self-primed oil pump.

Technology for obtaining modified oil sorbents

Expediency of using natural glauconite material as a basis for the production of an environmentally friendly sorbent with hydrophobic and magnetic properties for liquidating oil and oil products spills mechanically and using a magnetic field has been substantiated and experimentally proved. Fractional, elemental and oxide compositions of the original mineral have been studied. The structure of glauconite fraction 0.045-0.1 mm has been investigated by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the surface of the sample particles is heterogeneous with a large number of pores and cracks. Based on the experimental data, the optimal conditions for the production and use of powder and granular sorbents based on glauconite with specified properties were determined, at which a high degree of recovery (more than 90%) of oil with water and hard surfaces. The optimum temperature for obtaining a magnetic oil sorbent is 400 °C. The doses of stearic acid and iron (III) oxide were established at 5 wt. %, which provide hydrophobicity and magnetic properties to the synthesized sorbent. A high degree of oil (97%) and oil (98%) recovery when using a sorbent is achieved at a ratio of 1: 10 to sorbate. To eliminate oil and oil product spills, it is proposed to use granular ferromagnetic sorbents obtained by introducing carboxymethyl cellulose into the modified glauconite composition. oil and oil products granular sorbent increases in comparison with the original mineral by 1.2–2.2 times. Technological schemes for obtaining ferromagnetic hydrophobic and granular sorbents based on glauconite for collecting oil and oil products from water and solid surfaces have been developed. The synthesized sorbents are characterized by high efficiency, low cost, and environmental friendliness.

A facile fabrication of superhydrophobic and superoleophilic adsorption material 5A zeolite for oil–water separation with potential use in floating oil

A facile method for fabricating superhydrophobic and superoleophilic powder with 5A zeolite and stearic acid (SA) is reported in this study. The effect of different contents of SA on contact angle (CA) was investigated. The maximum water CA was 156.2°, corresponding to the optimum SA content of 1.5 wt%. The effects of SA and the mechanism of modified 5A zeolite powder by SA were analyzed by sedimentation analysis experiment, FTIR analysis, particle size analysis, and SEM characterization. The SA-modified 5A zeolite was used as an oil sorbent to separate oil–water mixture with potential use in floating oil. The separation efficiency was above 98%.