Performance of natural fibre nonwoven for oil sorption from sea water

Abstract

This work deals with the study of the oil sorption behaviour of needlepunched nonwoven fabrics produced from natural fibres such as cotton, cotton flat waste, cotton/kapok blend, and nettle fibres. Polypropylene nonwoven fabric, which is used as a commercial oil sorbent, was also prepared using the same needling parameters for comparison purposes. The effect of the type of fibre, oil, and fabric parameters on oil sorption and retention capacities was investigated. All of the fabrics displayed higher oil sorption capacities for engine oil (high viscosity) than diesel oil (low viscosity). Among natural fibre nonwovens, cotton and cotton/kapok nonwovens displayed higher oil sorption capacities than that of polypropylene nonwovens, while nettle fibre nonwoven fabric displayed poor oil sorption capacity. An increase in kapok content in cotton/ kapok nonwovens led to an increase in oil sorption behaviour. More than 95% of the diesel oils adsorbed by the nonwoven fabrics could be recovered by simple compression. Oil sorption capacity of the nonwovens were reduced significantly during repetitive cycles of use due to higher thickness loss. This study indicated that cotton and cotton/kapok nonwovens displayed better oil sorption behaviour than polypropylene, and may be used as an alternative natural oil sorbent material.