Enhancing oil-spill cleanup: The role of porogen on swelling characteristics of sorbents in environmental protection

Abstract

Oil spills have several hazardous effects on marine communities and ecosystems. The hydrophobic porous sorbents have emerged as a promising solution due to their selective oil absorption, porosity, and water repellency. This study focuses on the development of reusable, cost-effective, and high capacity polycaprolactone (PCL) based porous sorbents. Three types of porogens, solid (NaCl), liquid (mesitylene), and hybrid (polystyrene and toluene) were used to create porous structures. Different amounts of porogens were tested on each sorbent type and the results on the sorption capacity were analysed. Reusability, water interaction tests for stability, and contact angle tests were carried out during the study. Absorption tests were tried on different solvents such as BTEX solvents and petroleum products. In addition, kinetic studies were carried out to monitor their swelling activities, and absorption behaviour. An optical microscope was used to visualise the morphological changes in the pore structure during swelling. By incorporating these tests, the study aims to optimize the porous structure of PCL sorbents, to improve oil absorption while maintaining durability and reusability. The porous sorbents, based on PCL, have an absorption capacity of 45 g/g, have no affinity for water, and have excellent reusability properties up to 15 cycles, making them good candidates for their use in oil spill applications.