A Cellulose Aerogel Made from Paper and Hemp Waste Added with Starch for the Sorption of Oil

Abstract

One sustainable method of removing oil spills is the use of sorbents. In this study, aerogels made from paper waste and crosslinking starch are investigated as sorbents. Aerogels have a high porosity and, thus, achieve a high sorption capacity. The paper waste aerogels are compared with aerogel samples that also contain hemp fibres as a composite. After hydrophobisation with methyltrimethoxysilane, the maximum sorption capacity of crude oil, marine diesel oil and lubricating oil is investigated. Aerogels made of cellulose from paper waste with starch show the highest sorption capacity of about 50 gg−1 for all studied oils. Unfortunately, hemp fibres offer no advantage in sorption capacity, but they do mitigate a decrease in sorption capacity with an increase in cellulose fibre content. This could be an advantage in a possible commercial product, so that the properties do not vary as much.

Mechanical Properties of Cellulose Aerogel Composites with and without Crude Oil Filling

“…For the samples with the highest concentration of cellulose and starch, K0.5-P5, the Figure 1a shows the sorption capacity in % based on the first value of the control samples made of cellulose fibers with starch without hemp fibers. The absolute sorption capacity in g g −1 has been published in Figure 5 in [14]. At a compression of 90%, the sorption capacity of crude oil drops significantly by up to 43% after the first cycle.…”

“…The production of the cellulose aerogel samples used in this study from cardboard paper-waste and starch and partly with and without hemp fibers is described in [14]. Information about the structure and morphology of the cellulose aerogels can be found in [35].…”

“…The composition of the samples without hemp fibers is shown in Table 3. The samples were prepared as described in [14], and they were hydrophobized in order to prepare them for oil sorption. The Characterization as a sorbent for oil involved analyzing the porosity, density, contact angle of the samples against water, and the sorption capacity, as outlined in [14], following common practices in the literature [3].…”

“…The samples were prepared as described in [14], and they were hydrophobized in order to prepare them for oil sorption. The Characterization as a sorbent for oil involved analyzing the porosity, density, contact angle of the samples against water, and the sorption capacity, as outlined in [14], following common practices in the literature [3]. To characterize them as a sorbent for oil, analyzing the porosity, the density, the contact angle of the samples against water, and the sorption capacity [2] as stated in study [32] is common.…”

“…In this paper, the mechanical properties of dry and oil-soaked natural cellulose-based aerogels were investigated to evaluate their applicability in the field of water treatment. For this purpose, cellulose aerogels made from paper-waste, starch as a crosslinker, and agriculture residue (hemp straw fibers) were used, whose preparation and oil sorption capacity were already published by the authors of this paper in [14]. Young's modulus and initial height recovery of the aerogel samples were determined and evaluated.…”