Modification and Characterization of Oclansorb® for Oil Spill Cleanup

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Oil spills from drilling rigs, vehicle, vessels and pipelines can pollute ecosystems and contaminate water, causing extensive environmental and economic impacts. Oil cleanup by sorbent materials is considered as one of the most cost-effective technologies. Oclansorb®, an all-natural nontoxic sorbent made from Sphagnum peat by Hi-Point Industries Ltd (HPIL), is capable of absorbing several times its own weight of oils. However, more biomass-based sorbents are currently available in the market; Oclansorb® is facing more competition than ever. An improved product with higher sorption capacity and efficiency is therefore demanded to remain competitive in the global market. The proposed project aims to modify Oclansorb® by optimizing the preparation conditions and to characterize the key physical and chemical properties for the improved product.Design of experiments (DOE) will be employed in the proposed research to obtain the optimal thermal treatment conditions of Sphagnum peat. Effects of sorbents' structure, surface property and morphology on oil sorption capacity and oil-cleanup efficiency will be investigated by combining batch sorption tests and characterization of sorbent structure and wetting properties by BET, TGA, SEM and contact angle measurement. The proposed research aims to provide direct guidance on the development of cost-effective biomass based sorbents through the systematic optimization of the preparation conditions. The novelty of the proposed research lies in the identification of the integral impact of sorbent structure and surface wetting property on sorbent performance for oil spill cleanup.The important findings of the proposed research will be incorporated into the production of Oclansorb® directly. The proposed research will help HPIL increase the market competitiveness of Oclansorb® and boost gross sales and revenue growth. Meanwhile, this study will generate significant influence on the development of cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for oil spill cleanup.