Bio-based fibers in oil spill clean-ups

Oil spills are a global concern because of their environmental and economic impact. Crude oil released into the marine environment through accidental spillage or drainage from land causes serious damage to the environment and marine life. Effective decontamination and clean-ups are necessary after the spill for the protection of environment and human health. There are many methods for oil spill removal, but one of the most widely used methods is sorption by sorbents. The commercial absorbents are synthetic in nature and are non-biodegradable. The natural fibers which possess oil absorbency property are suggested as oil absorbents because of their biodegradability. Ideal sorbent materials used for oil spill clean-up include hydrophobicity, oleophilicity, high rate of oil uptake, buoyancy, retention overtime, durability in aqueous media, reusability, biodegradability and recovery of oil. It is very difficult to achieve all these in a single material, still these are all needs to be considered before selecting the sorbents. © 2021 Deutscher Fachverlag GmbH. All rights reserved.