Non-woven sorbent based on recycled jute fibers for efficient oil spill clean-up: From production to biodegradation

Loose assemblies of cellulose fibers could be employed in the clean-up of oil spills, but the difficulty to separate them from the spill after use makes them impractical. In an effort to tackle this issue, a non-woven sorbent based on recycled jute fibers from the carpet industry was developed. To enhance the porosity and hydrophobicity/oleophilicity of the sorbent, carbonization in an inert atmosphere was carried out. A comparison in oil sorption performance between non-carbonized and carbonized sorbents was made by evaluating the oil capacity in a water medium, buoyancy, oil retention and reusability. Carbonization of sorbent resulted in more than doubled oil sorption capacity independent of oil viscosity. Oil viscosity did not affect the oil sorption capacity of non-carbonized sorbent. Carbonized sorbent showed superior buoyancy in water even after 24 hours, oil retention of approximately 60–80% after 3 hours and only 12–20% decline of oil sorption capacity after five repeated sorption/desorption trials. However, the ability of oiled non-carbonized sorbent to efficiently biodegrade in model compost (up to 45% weight loss after 10 weeks) makes it a sustainable candidate for oil spill clean-up.