Cost effective and practically viable oil spillage mitigation: Comprehensive study with biochar

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2018-03, Vol.128, p.32-40
• Main Authors: Kandanelli, Ramesh, Meesala, Lavanya, Kumar, Jatin, Raju, Chinthalapati Siva Kesava, Peddy, V.C. Rao, Gandham, Sriganesh, Kumar, Pramod
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adsorption; Atmospheric particulates; Biochar; Biomass; Charcoal; Charcoal - chemistry; Composition; Cost analysis; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Crude oil; Dust storms; Environmental Restoration and Remediation - economics; Environmental Restoration and Remediation - methods; Gasification; Mitigation; Models, Theoretical; Oil spill; Oil spills; Oryza - chemistry; Particle Size; Petroleum - analysis; Petroleum Pollution - analysis; Pyrolysis; Soil; Soil remediation; Sorbents; Spillage; Surface Properties; Vegetable oils; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Wood - chemistry
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2018.01.010

Biochar is carbonaceous mass that is produced from pyrolysis or gasification of biomass. It is so far majorly explored for soil remediation application, but recently it has attracted a lot of interest because of its unexplored applications in the area of adsorption. In this work, detailed study on biochars produced from two different feeds (rice husk and saw dust), at two different temperatures (450 and 550°C) and two different rates (fast and slow) of pyrolysis are discussed for oil spill mitigation. Biochar is characterized in detail by various techniques such as FTIR, 13C CPMAS, FESEM, RAMAN, TGA to determine the structural composition and observe the extent of pyrolysis. Tests to assess the performance of produced biochars as sorbents for oil spill mitigation have been demonstrated. The as produced biochars selectively absorbed crude oil from oil/water biphasic mixtures in various capacities. In this work we address quick oil spill cleanup using biochar. Biochars were characterized by various analytical techniques to determine their quality and factors influencing the extent of pyrolysis were identified. A practical approach has been demonstrated where in sea water conditions are simulated. [Display omitted] •Biochar preparation from rice husk and saw dust•Selective Crude oil adsorption from biochar in oil/water biphasic mixture•Characterization of Biochar by various analytical techniques•Practical viability of biochar in oil spill cleanup has been simulated in realistic conditions.