Natural Sorbent for Oil Spill Cleanup from Water Surface: Environmental Implication

Oil spills in water are considered to be a serious environmental issue in marine areas due to considerable activities in offshore and onshore oil exploration, production, and transportation over recent years. Utilization of adsorbents appears to be an efficient way to overcome this matter. This study discusses the potential of a natural plant, called Azolla folliculoid, as a sorbent for cleanup of oil spills in seas and oceans. An experimental investigation is conducted using Azolla/water phase/oil containment systems. The characterization of the Azolla is conducted through various techniques such as transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer Emmett Teller (BET) analysis, and FT-IR spectroscopy. A systematic parametric sensitivity analysis is performed to comprehend the adsorption mechanism in this particular case. The results implied that the uptake capacity of Azolla in sea water is 10.2 g oil/g adsorbent for the engine oil and 5.3 g oil/g for the crude oil at T = 25 degrees C and pH = 8.3. The adsorption capacity of engine oil/salty water is higher compared to other mixtures. It was also found that there is an optimal adsorption rate of the temperature of 25 degrees C and pH of 9. This study reveals that Azolla leaf is an efficient, economic, and ecofriendly oil adsorbent for oil removal from the surface of water.