Characteristics of alginate and soy protein isolates composite aerogels as oil absorbent

Abstract

Abstract Treating oil spill occurrence is crucial because of the toxic effects on marine life and the environment. Hence, absorption is used for a low-cost oil recovery process, simple mechanism, and sustainability to mitigate such occurrence. Synthetic absorbent is always associated with its poor degradability, which may cause water to turn toxic. Natural materials have been foreseen as excellent absorbent due to their cost-effectiveness, sustainability, and less environmental harm. In this work, alginate/soy protein isolates (SPI) aerogels are synthesized, undergo surface modification with methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) and tetraethyl orthosilane (TEOS) solution, and then dried by supercritical CO2 at 110 ± 5 bar and 40 °C in 4h to produce aerogels absorbent. The synthesized absorbents were analyzed via FTIR, TGA, DSC, FESEM, contact angle and oil absorption analysis to determine their physical and chemical properties. Results demonstrated that the hydrophilic surface of the alginate/soy protein isolate could be tailored in a simple surface modification process. Its oil absorption capacity towards the engine oil can reach a range of 9.1-12.1 g/g, comparable to most reported natural absorbents. Thus, the findings in this study show that alginate/ SPI aerogels may have potential as an industry oil absorbent.