Tenebrio molitor Larvae-Based Magnetic Polyurea Employed as Crude Oil Spill Removal Tool

Abstract

Renewable resources constitute an extremely rich and varied set of molecules and polymers produced by natural biological activities. Within the applications of these polymers, a very important application is the use of these materials as a sorber for oils or oil spills. The advantage of these nanocomposites is the fact that they integrate different component materials and their properties into a single component material. They have several applications, ranging from environmental remediation to the development of advanced medical applications. This work proposed using magnetic polyurea composites based on an animal substrate from Tenebrio molitor larvae to perform oil spill clean-up operations under a magnetic field in the presence of 1% and 3% of magnetite to be tested as magnetic crude oil sorber. The obtained materials were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Scanning Differential Calorimetry (DSC), and Low-Field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (LF-NMR 1H). The sorber material is simple to prepare and inexpensive. The use of magnetite as a magnetic charge allowed for the efficient removal of oil from water with about 28 g of oil per gram of sorber. These results are very promising and encouraging for future environmental recovery studies involving magnetite and sustainable polymers.

Unveiling the Potential of Coffee Grounds, Banana Peels and Egg Shells as an Eco‐Friendly and Sustainable Fertilizer

“…Furthermore, as the world explores innovative solutions for waste management and environmental preservation, similar considerations are being applied to diverse domains. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The art of brewing coffee entails the extraction of hot water, leaving behind a residue known as coffee grounds. Traditionally, regarded as mere remnants with no commercial worth, these grounds have been commonly disposed of.…”

“…Furthermore, as the world explores innovative solutions for waste management and environmental preservation, similar considerations are being applied to diverse domains. [ 2–10 ]…”

A 30-Year Review on Nanocomposites: Comprehensive Bibliometric Insights into Microstructural, Electrical, and Mechanical Properties Assisted by Artificial Intelligence

“…The exploration of the nanoscopic world has brought nanocomposites to the forefront of research, signifying a breakthrough in multiple domains, including environmental recovery [ 23 , 34 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 ], electronics [ 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 ], energy storage [ 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 , 92 , 93 , 94 , 95 , 96 , 97 , 98 , 99 , 100 , 101 ], and healthcare [ 102 ,…”

“…The exploration of the nanoscopic world has brought nanocomposites to the forefront of research, signifying a breakthrough in multiple domains, including environmental recovery [23,34,[52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60][61][62][63][64][65][66][67][68][69][70], electronics [71][72][73][74][75][76][77][78][79][80][81], energy storage [82][83][84][85][86][87][88][89][90][91][92][93][94][95][96][97][98][99][100]…”