Oil spill remedy using bi-axially oriented polymer films

Abstract

Oil spill on water surface and shorelines has been a major source of water pollution. With the damaging impact to ecology and the long term effects of environmental pollution, demand for materials for cleaning up the water in a quick and effective way has increased. A number of sorbents have been recommended for the purpose of picking up oil from water. These range from natural products, such as inorganic porous products and organic biodegradable products. However, most of them reveal limited oil sorption capacity and also absorb water. Hence, it is felt that there is a need of producing a synthetic oil sorbent that not only has high sorption capacity but also, unlike other contemporary synthetic sorbents, proves to be strong and cost effective. In this paper, we are presenting a novel super oil sorbent polymer (oil-sap) sheet consisting of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The sorbent exhibits an uptake capacity of (276 g/g) and pickup density of (58 g/cm3). In addition, it comprises a mechanically strong structure (tensile modulus and breaking stress of 1332 MPa and 171 MPa respectively). The unique blend of uptake capacity and strength along with cost effectiveness of the raw material (polyethylene) makes these sheets feasible candidates for mass production and application. © 2014 WIT Press.