Study on the synthesis of oil adsorbent materials from straw and glycidyl methacrylate-lauryl methacrylate copolymer

Abstract

This article presents a method for synthesising oil-adsorbent materials from rice straw through surface modification using a glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) and lauryl methacrylate (LMA) copolymer. Aiming to develop an environmentally friendly material with high oil selectivity, the authors carried out a free radical copolymerisation of GMA and LMA in solution, followed by grafting the copolymer onto alkali-treated straw fibres. Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses revealed significant changes in the chemical structure and surface morphology of the straw after modification. Notably, the resulting material exhibited superhydrophobic properties, with a water contact angle reaching up to 161°, while maintaining excellent buoyancy in water. Oil absorption test results performed in accordance with ASTM F726-12 demonstrated that the modified straw could absorb up to 14.9 g of fuel oil (FO) per gram of dry material. The material proves effective in separating oil from the water surface, confirming its strong potential for use in oil spill response and treatment of oil-contaminated wastewater with low cost and high efficiency.