SORPTION STUDIES OF CRUDE OIL ON ACETYLATED SAWDUST

Abstract

Acetylated sawdust (AS) has been studied as sorbent for crude oil spill clean-up operations in the aqueous environment. Sorption kinetics and isotherm studies were carried out under various experimental conditions. The experimental data were particularly tested using the Langmuir isotherm model and the Freundlich isotherm model. The results showed that the acetylation of sawdust enhanced the equilibrium sorption capacity of biomass towards the crude oil. Kinetic studies have shown that the data better fitted the Langmuir moldel than the Freundlich model. The maximum adsorption capacity of AS was 7.9 g/g of crude oil. These values indicated that the acetylated sawdust is a suitable sorbent with potential for further development for oil spill treatment.