Fabrication of rubber gel as oil absorbent by using water as porosity agent for oil removal

Abstract

Oil pollution is a crucial issue that has adversed impact not only on the environment but also human beings. As an alternative to all conventional approaches, a porous rubber gel based on liquid natural rubber (LNR) with excellent hydrophobic and wettability properties has been developed using a simple vulcanization reaction. To determine their sorption capability, LNR gel was employed for absorption of various types of oils such as Petrol A, Petrol B, kerosene, diesel, crude oil, and olive oil. The functionality of LNR gel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and the morphology of LNR gel was observed using a scanning electron microscope. By combining wettability and hydrophobicity, the LNR gel exhibited high oil sorption capacity and selectivity for oil removal from water. The LNR gel was able to absorb oils, especially the low viscosity types. Besides, it can also be reused up to 20 cycles while maintaining its oil sorption performance. The selective absorbent shows the recovery of petrol in the range of 96–99% by squeezing the oil. Thus, LNR gel has great potential as green material for cleaning up oil contaminants on a large scale. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019, 136, 47749.

A Silica–Lignin Hybrid Filler in a Natural Rubber Foam Composite as a Green Oil Spill Absorbent

“…Chin et al and Mustapa et al studied natural rubber foam (NRF), which was a promising material for oil spill application to replace the commercial materials. Unfortunately, the results showed that the oil sorption capacity decreased due to the increase in crosslinking agents [ 21 , 22 ]. To improve its effectiveness, a specific material can be added to the NRF as a filler.…”

Eco‐friendly foams of castor oil based‐polyurethane with Artemisia residue fillers for discarded vegetable oil sorption

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