Petroleum Absorbers Based on CNSL, Furfural and Lignin - The Effect of the Chemical Similarity on the Interactions among Petroleum and Bioresins

摘要

The petroleum has become our most important source of energy since the mid-1950s. It is due to its high energy density, easy transportability and relative abundance. However, along extraction, storage or transportation of oil, spill accidents may happen. This kind of accident causes severe impacts on the environment, being directly responsible for the destruction of the marine life, which affects the fishing and even tourism industries. Main goal of this work is related to the use of renewable sources aiming to obtain ‘‘absorbent green materials’’. These materials were synthesized by a typical phenolic resin polycondensation route using cashew nut shell liquid (CNSL) as main phenolic compound. Focused on keep the green characteristic of the materials, furfuraldehyde from hemicellulose was used as aldehyde and the reaction was catalyzed using a small amount of sulfuric acid. Resins were characterized using Optical Microscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy with Fourier Transformed (FTIR) and density tests. In addition, contraction of the oil spilled was studied in presence of resins. Obtained results demonstrated that synthesized resins present a good chemical similarity with oil, which produces a good interaction among resins and oil, making easy the contraction of the oil spot on the water and, consequently, the removal process of oil spilled on water.