ABSTRACT

Partial or complete replacement of synthetic sorbents by cotton-containing nonwovens for use in oil spill cleanup was examined. The results indicated that with light crude oil, oil sorption capacities of the needlepunched cotton-containing sorbents were slightly greater than those of sorbents made by 100% polypropylene fibers. A small portion of polypropylene fiber could be incorporated into nonwovens, if necessary, to increase mechanical strength properties and to maintain the fabric integrity. The cotton-containing sorbents were reusable after a simple mechanical compression to remove oil from the sorbents. They also floated in an artificial seawater bath for a long period of time.

It was found that oil sorption of cotton fiber was controlled by adsorption of oil on the fiber surface and capillary action through its lumen. Contrarily, the main mechanism for polypropylene was through capillary bridges between fibers. Detailed evaluation using an Environmental Scanning Electron Microscope confirmed this mechanism. Individual bundles of both cotton and polypropylene fibers gave greater oil sorption than did the needlepunched nonwoven fabrics prepared from the respective fibers. In addition, sorption decreased as needling density increased. This study provided preliminary data for the investigation of other cotton nonwoven constructions for improved oil sorption properties.