Oil Spill Recovery of Petroleum-Derived Fuels Using a Bio-Based Flexible Polyurethane Foam.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Environmental Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Petroleum-derived fuels contaminate water sources, posing environmental risks.
• Developing sustainable materials for effective water remediation is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and evaluate a flexible polyurethane (PU) foam from bio-based components for petroleum fuel removal from water.
• To investigate the sorption capacity, kinetics, and regeneration of the bio-based PU foam.

Main Methods:

• Polyurethane foam synthesized using PEG 400, L-lysine ethyl ester diisocyanate (L-LDI), and 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF).
• Batch adsorption experiments conducted with diesel, gasoline, and kerosene in freshwater and seawater.
• Sorption kinetics analyzed using pseudo-second-order model; equilibrium data fitted with Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms.

Main Results:

• The bio-based PU foam exhibited high sorption capacities, particularly for diesel (67 g/g in freshwater, 70 g/g in seawater).
• Sorption kinetics followed a pseudo-second-order model, indicating chemical interactions.
• Langmuir model best described equilibrium data, suggesting monolayer adsorption.
• The foam demonstrated excellent reusability, maintaining performance after 50 regeneration cycles via centrifugation.

Conclusions:

• The developed sustainable, bio-based polyurethane foam is effective for removing petroleum fuels from water.
• The foam's high sorption capacity, regeneration ability, and eco-friendly synthesis make it a promising material for environmental remediation applications.