A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films

Oil spills on water surface and shoreline have caused significant water pollution, and one of the ways to deal with them is to use oil sorbents. An effective sorbent provides high oil uptake and retention values, high selectivity, super-fast uptake kinetics, and sufficient mechanical strength to ens...

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Main Authors: Junaid Saleem, Moghal Zubair Khalid Baig, Adriaan S. Luyt, Rana Abdul Shakoor, Ahsan Hafeez, Insharah Ahsan, Snigdhendubala Pradhan, Mujaheed Pasha, Gordon McKay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2023-05-01
Series:Energy Reports
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484722026981
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author Junaid Saleem
Moghal Zubair Khalid Baig
Adriaan S. Luyt
Rana Abdul Shakoor
Ahsan Hafeez
Insharah Ahsan
Snigdhendubala Pradhan
Mujaheed Pasha
Gordon McKay
author_facet Junaid Saleem
Moghal Zubair Khalid Baig
Adriaan S. Luyt
Rana Abdul Shakoor
Ahsan Hafeez
Insharah Ahsan
Snigdhendubala Pradhan
Mujaheed Pasha
Gordon McKay
author_sort Junaid Saleem
collection DOAJ
description Oil spills on water surface and shoreline have caused significant water pollution, and one of the ways to deal with them is to use oil sorbents. An effective sorbent provides high oil uptake and retention values, high selectivity, super-fast uptake kinetics, and sufficient mechanical strength to ensure practical application under different conditions. In this regard, synthetic sorbents made up of graphene, carbon nanotubes, and polymers in the form of aerogels, thin films, pads, and non-woven fibers have been widely explored. However, none of them addresses all the attributes of an ideal oil sorbent. Aerogels provide extremely high uptake values, but they are so light that it is difficult for the end user to handle them. On the other hand, thin films and non-woven fibers can quickly absorb oil but suffer from low uptake capacity with low retention values. Similarly, commercial oil sorbent pads have sufficient mechanical strength, but low uptake capacity compared to aerogels. Herein, we present a super oil sorbent with a porous structure using a facile energy-efficient approach. The as-prepared sorbent comprises a porous thin film with micropores and macro-cavities, resulting in super-fast uptake kinetics and a high oil uptake value of 85 g/g. Moreover, tensile test results confirm sorbent’s effectiveness in spill response. Lastly, our unique design does not involve expensive hydrophobic functionalization and thus utilizes lower embodied energy and generates lower carbon footprints.
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spelling doaj.art-1e336c0b06354dc298b756314f9119962023-06-07T04:48:35ZengElsevierEnergy Reports2352-48472023-05-0194045A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin filmsJunaid Saleem0Moghal Zubair Khalid Baig1Adriaan S. Luyt2Rana Abdul Shakoor3Ahsan Hafeez4Insharah Ahsan5Snigdhendubala Pradhan6Mujaheed Pasha7Gordon McKay8Division of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, Qatar; Corresponding author.Center for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, QatarCenter for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, QatarCenter for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, QatarCenter for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, QatarCenter for Advanced Materials, Qatar University, QatarDivision of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarQatar Environment and Energy Research Institute, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarDivision of Sustainable Development, College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar Foundation, Doha, QatarOil spills on water surface and shoreline have caused significant water pollution, and one of the ways to deal with them is to use oil sorbents. An effective sorbent provides high oil uptake and retention values, high selectivity, super-fast uptake kinetics, and sufficient mechanical strength to ensure practical application under different conditions. In this regard, synthetic sorbents made up of graphene, carbon nanotubes, and polymers in the form of aerogels, thin films, pads, and non-woven fibers have been widely explored. However, none of them addresses all the attributes of an ideal oil sorbent. Aerogels provide extremely high uptake values, but they are so light that it is difficult for the end user to handle them. On the other hand, thin films and non-woven fibers can quickly absorb oil but suffer from low uptake capacity with low retention values. Similarly, commercial oil sorbent pads have sufficient mechanical strength, but low uptake capacity compared to aerogels. Herein, we present a super oil sorbent with a porous structure using a facile energy-efficient approach. The as-prepared sorbent comprises a porous thin film with micropores and macro-cavities, resulting in super-fast uptake kinetics and a high oil uptake value of 85 g/g. Moreover, tensile test results confirm sorbent’s effectiveness in spill response. Lastly, our unique design does not involve expensive hydrophobic functionalization and thus utilizes lower embodied energy and generates lower carbon footprints.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484722026981Oil spillSuper sorbentPorousThin filmSaturationSelectivity
spellingShingle Junaid Saleem
Moghal Zubair Khalid Baig
Adriaan S. Luyt
Rana Abdul Shakoor
Ahsan Hafeez
Insharah Ahsan
Snigdhendubala Pradhan
Mujaheed Pasha
Gordon McKay
A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films
Energy Reports
Oil spill
Super sorbent
Porous
Thin film
Saturation
Selectivity
title A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films
title_full A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films
title_fullStr A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films
title_full_unstemmed A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films
title_short A facile energy-efficient approach to prepare super oil-sorbent thin films
title_sort facile energy efficient approach to prepare super oil sorbent thin films
topic Oil spill
Super sorbent
Porous
Thin film
Saturation
Selectivity
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484722026981
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