Adsorption of Petroleum Hydrocarbon by Modified Biomass Carbon

Abstract In order to improve the oil adsorption performance of biomass carbon, a new oil removal adsorbent was prepared by modifying natural material. Hydrophobic agent is used as modifier to graft biomass carbon. The structural characteristics and microstructure of biomass carbon treated by modifiers are characterized by FTIR spectroscopy and SEM observation. The results showed that self-made biomass charcoal has good floatability, and biomass carbon treated by the hydrophobic agent has a higher oil adsorption capacity than those of untreated ones. Peanut shell carbon and corn cob carbon modified by nano-SiO2 dispersant obtained the best results with an oil absorption rate of about 1.5 g/g and an oil retention rate of about 95%. As determinate by GC/MS, the modified biomass carbon before and after the adsorption of marine oil, the alkane changed significantly, indicating that the adsorption capacity of oil is very obvious.