Hydrophobization and evaluation of absorption capacity of Aloe vera, Opuntia ficus-indica and Gelidium for oil spill cleanup

Natural sorbent materials have practical advantages for the oil spill cleanup, whose advantages are their low-cost, feasibility for real-life applications and environmental adaptability. In this work, absorption capacity was determined for lyophilized aloe, nopal and agar and their composites with silica, Fe3O4/polysterene and multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs). Freeze-drying was performed in order to preserve the structure and increase the internal volume of sorbents. The structures of lyophilized sorbents and composites were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). SEM images for lyophilized sorbents show a tridimensional arrangement formed by plant-derived materials, which allows the oil absorption. The composites keep their tridimensional structure after freeze-drying and composite formation and exhibit coupling between both materials. Absorption capacity of aloe, nopal and agar are 9 g/g, 3 g/g, and 26 g/g, respectively without any pretreatment. Composites with Fe3O4/polysterene own capacities of 5.8 g/g, 2.8 g/g, and 14 g/g, respectively. Finally, for MWCNT composites, capacities are 7.8 g/g, 2.9 g/g and 23 g/g. A significant difference of adsorption capacity between lyophilized sorbents and composites is attributed to lyophilized materials absorbing oil, water and other compounds. Meanwhile, for composites the absorption is a more selective process, since the hydrophobization does not allow the absorption of water.