Oil absorption and desorption by polypropylene fibers

Oil spill is a threat to the ecosystem, and there is a need for the development of highly efficient oil sorbents for environmental remediation. In this study, four different types of polypropylene fibers were evaluated for their oil absorbency and desorption characteristics. These fibers varied in their fineness and structural characteristics, i.e., hollow or solid. A modified ASTM methodology was used in the study to better represent the oil sorption capacity of a sorbent. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to present the effect of fiber fineness and structure on the oil desorption behavior of polypropylene fibers. Results showed that finer fibers had higher oil sorption capacity (g/g) than the coarser fibers. There was no statistical difference in the rate of desorption among the solid fibers; however, the hollow fiber had a statistically higher rate of desorption than the solid fibers.