Chitosan–Starch Films Modified with Natural Extracts to Remove Heavy Oil from Water

Abstract

Chitosan films were used to remove heavy oil from connate water, deionized water, and seawater. In this research, chitosan-starch films were modified with natural extracts from cranberry, blueberry, beetroot, pomegranate, oregano, pitaya, and grape. These biodegradable, low-cost, eco-friendly materials show an important oil sorption capacity from different water conditions. It was observed that the sorption capacity has a clear correlation with the extract type, quantity, and water pH. In order to understand the physical and chemical properties of the films, they were analyzed according to their apparent density, water content, solubility, and swelling degree by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS), and the determination of surface area using the Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) method. The results indicate that chitosan-starch films modified with natural extracts can be successfully applied for environmental issues such as oil spill remedy.

Preparation and Characterization of Functional Films Based on Chitosan and Corn Starch Incorporated Tea Polyphenols

“…According to Figure 2b, we can see the swelling degree of CS/CH/TP film decreased with the increase of tea polyphenol concentration. Compared with chitosan and starch blend film [42], the swelling degree of CS/CH/TP film was larger. This is due to the hydrophilicity of tea polyphenols with a large number of hydroxyl groups and the hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl group of tea polyphenols and the amino group of chitosan, which leads to the increase of swelling degree.…”

A Review of the Current and Future Prospects for Producing Bioplastic Films Made from Starch and Chitosan

“…46 The synthesis of starch-chitosan material sometimes involves an addition of different chemicals. According to Lozano-Navarro et al, 47 starch-chitosan films with natural extracts added (e.g., blueberry, beetroot, and grape extracts) have the ability to uptake oil from water. This ability was explained by the hydrophobic interaction between chitosan and the extracts, thus helping to increase the oil affinity.…”

Sustainable adsorptive removal of antibiotic residues by chitosan composites: An insight into current developments and future recommendations

“…Due to its appealing properties, chitosan based adsorbents have been developed for numerous pollutants, not only pharmaceutical residues. I would recommend the authors to briefly mention the recent applications of chitosan based adsorbents on other common pollutants like heavy metal ions ( Yang et al, 2021 ), dyes ( Vakili et al, 2014 ), heavy oil ( Lozano-Navarro et al, 2020 ) and toxic gases ( Liao and Pan 2021 ).…”