Removal of Oil Pollutants from Water by Modified Natural Polymers Fibers

Due to increasing consumptions in fossil fuels and their transportation through pipelines in the sea, water pollution by petroleum products has become a global problem. Various methods are used to remove oil pollutants from sea waters. Among them different absorbents based on synthetic and natural polymers are common. Because of their high costs and lack of degradability, less attention is paid on synthetic polymers. In contrast, due to their surface roughness, high capillarity, suitable functional groups, low cost, biodegradability, and non-toxicity, natural polymers have gained more attention in this application. In this review, natural polymers suitable for removal of oil spills are considered in two categories including polymers derived from plant or animal sources, and the removal of oil pollutants by each category of polymers is discussed. The structure-property relationship of natural polymers associated with their ability for removing oil pollutants and their surface modifications for improving oil sorption capacity are reviewed.