Effect of Porogen Type in Amphiphilic Sorbents for Oil-Spill Removal Applications

Abstract

Oil spills pose a serious threat to ecosystems and human communities, whether in inland or in marine environments. A promising approach to remediation is the use of porous sorbent materials that can efficiently absorb and remove oil from contaminated surfaces. Our aim was to create a sorbent with high oil selectivity and a strong, flexible chain. Tetronic 90R4 was used as the macromonomer, and bulk polymerization was carried out in the presence of a suitable cross-linker without using any solvent, initiator, or catalyst. The swelling performance of the fabricated sorbents was evaluated by using various chemicals, particularly BTEX compounds and oil derivatives, in singular or aqueous media. The materials exhibited a swelling capacity of up to 20 times their weight in organic solvents and 4 times that in gasoline. Reusability and stability tests confirmed that the sorbents are stable, reusable, and highly oil-loving. These materials can be strategically deployed to rapidly contain and extract oil from the water's surface, thereby minimizing the spread of the spill and reducing the time it takes to restore the affected area to its natural state.