Application of Epoxidized Natural Rubber-Magnetite Nanocomposite for Oil Spill Recovery

In this research a new eco-friendly nanocomposite material has been synthesized from natural rubber and magnetite nanoparticles. The poor oil resistance of natural rubber in the nanocomposites is exploited for the absorption of oil spills in sea. For this purpose, partially epoxidized natural rubber (ENR)/magnetite nanoparticle (MN) nanocomposites are prepared and the amount of crude oil absorption by them is studied. The extent of epoxidation is controlled in such a manner that the NR does not lose its elasticity while retaining to a significant degree its oil absorbing property. Epoxidation also serves as a means for binding sufficient quantity of MNs so that the composite can be recovered using a magnetic field. ENR with 5 mol% of epoxidation served as the best oil absorbent among all the absorbents studied as it was stable in crude oil even after many days of immersion. It is observed that each gram of ENR-MN nanocomposite absorbs 7 g of crude oil without any mass loss. The material was reused for several cycles without much loss in the capacity. The crude oil uptake of ENR-MN is greater than that of butyl rubber which is the most commercially used rubber for oil removal. Porous rubber was also synthesized for the first time as oil uptake is facilitated not only by the hydrophobicity but also by the capillary absorption. Porous ENR absorbed a relatively larger amount of oil and exhibited the highest stability. All the sorbents studied in this work have quite high absorption capacities to be applied practically with a very low water uptake and a few of the absorbents could be satisfactorily reused.