Sorbent system based on acetylated microfibrillated cellulose for remediation of oil aquatic environments

Abstract

The growth of oil exploration and transport in marine environments brings concern over potential environmental
disasters caused by oil spills. Thus, various materials are being developed and studied in order to minimize
environmental impacts caused by these oil spills. Among these materials, the use of sorbents has appeared
as a great potential technique for the treatment of effluents, by separating and collecting oil in the
aqueous medium. This work describes the development of a sorbent system based on acetylated microfibrillated
cellulose. Initially, cellulose fibers were modified by an acetylation reaction and thereafter, by a mechanical
process using a wheel mill grinding. To produce the sorbent system, fibers were coated by three
different types of envelopes to prevent leakage during the sorption experiment. Main results indicate a higher
oil sorption by sorbents with higher oil viscosity and higher grammage of the envelope. Acetylated microfibrillated
cellulose showed low water adsorption and high selectivity to oil and greater oil sorption values than
commercially sorbent currently used, based on polypropylene fibers.
Keywords: sorbents, microfibrillated cellulose, acetylation.