EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF A NATURAL HOLLOWHYDROPHOBIC-OLEOPHILIC FIBER FOR ITS POTENTIALAPPLICATION IN NAPL SPILL CLEANUP

摘要

Non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) spills on water and land are ofrnmajor environmental concern. One of the most economical andrnefficient means for the removal of the spilled NAPL is to usernhydrophobic-oleophilic sorbents. Natural, agricultural productsrnhave potential to be a substitute for commercial syntheticrnabsorbents in NAPL pickup and recovery. One of these naturalrnagro-products that have excellent oil sorption capacities is Kapokrn(Ceiba pentandra), a cellulosic silky-cotton fiber.rnThis paper presents the sorption capacities of Kapok, thernreusability of Kapok and its hydrophobicity-oleophilicity forrnvarious NAPLs. Both loose and packed Kapok assemblies werernexamined. The NAPLs investigated were tetrachloroethylenern(PCE), diesel and HD-30 engine oil (HD-30).rnThe NAPL sorption capacities of packed Kapok assembliesrnwere found to be 75, 55 and 45 g/g for PCE, HD-30 and diesel,rnrespectively. Two-thirds of the sorption capacities of virgin packedrnKapok assemblies could be retained even at the 8th reuse cycle.rnOil sorption capacities of the loose Kapok assembly reached 115rnand 45 g/g for HD-30 and diesel, respectively, on dynamic waterrnsurface. No thin oil film on water surface was observed afterrnNAPL sorption, when initial oil added in water was less thanrn30 g/500 mL and 1 g loose Kapok assembly was used.