Abstract
This work deals with the use of chemically modified wheat straw as efficient low-cost adsorbent for combating oil-spills in aquatic environment. The autohydrolyzed wheat straw was produced from the corresponding raw material by autohydrolysis in a PARR batch reactor (autoclave) at 160-240°C for 0-50min isothermal reaction time (following a non-isothermal preheating period). Oil adsorbency tests were performed, using diesel and crude oil spills in freshwater and seawater. Diesel and crude oil adsorbency values were found to increase up to a maximum by intensifying the autohydrolysis conditions, i.e., time and temperature. The adsorbency values were estimated by a proposed novel model incorporating the autohydrolysis severity factor R0. Optimal modification conditions were found for logR0=5.15 (i.e., 200°C, 10min isothermal time period) giving diesel adsorbency up to 6.65gg-1 and crude oil adsorbency up to 6.91gg-1. The maximum adsorbency values were comparable to those of the commonly used commercial adsorbents.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 1781-1791 |
Number of pages | 11 |
Journal | Chemical Engineering Research and Design |
Volume | 92 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This research has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund – ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program “Education and Lifelong Learning” of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) – Research Funding Program: Thalis–University Of Piraeus–Development Of New Material From Waste Biomass For Hydrocarbons Adsorption In Aquatic Environments (MIS 377356). Support from the University of Minnesota , is kindly acknowledged.
Keywords
- Adsorbent
- Autohydrolysis
- Lignocellulosic
- Oil spill
- Simulation
- Wheat straw