Sorbent and Solidifiers Review

1) Sundaravadivelu, Devi, et al. "Characterization of solidifiers used for oil spill

remediation." Chemosphere 144 (2016): 1490-1497.
Abstract : The physical characteristics and chemical composition of oil spill
solidifiers were studied, and correlation of these properties with product
effectiveness enabled determination of characteristics that are desirable in a good
solidifier. The analyses revealed that the commercial products were primarily
comprised of organic polymers and a few trace elements. A natural sorbent, which
was composed entirely of plant based matter, was also evaluated, and it had the
highest oil removal capacity, but it did not produce a solid mat-like final product.
Generally, solidifiers with a carbonate group, pore size greater than 5 m, and bulk
densities lower than 0.3 g cm3 were found to have better efficiency and produced a
cohesive rubbery final product that facilitated removal compared to sorbents. The
importance of bulk density and pore size in the performance of the solidifier suggest
that the primary mechanism of action was likely physical sorption.

2) Wu, Daxiong, et al. "Oil sorbents with high sorption capacity, oil/water
selectivity and reusability for oil spill cleanup." Marine pollution bulletin 84.1
(2014): 263-267
Abstract: A sorbent for oil spill cleanup was prepared through a novel strategy by
treating polyurethane sponges with silica sol and gasoline successively. The oil
sorption capacity, oil/water selectivity, reusability and sorption mechanism of
prepared sorbent were studied. The results showed that the prepared sorbent
exhibited high sorption capacity and excellent oil/water selectivity. 1 g of the
prepared sorbent could adsorb more than 100 g of motor oil, while it only picks up
less than 0.1 g of water from an oilwater interface under both static and dynamic
conditions. More than 70% of the sorption capacity remained after 15 successive
sorptionsqueezing cycles, which suggests an extraordinary high reusability. The
prepared sorbent is a better alternative of the commercial polypropylene sorbent
which are being used nowadays.

3) Sundaravadivelu, Devi, Makram T. Suidan, and Albert D. Venosa. "Parametric

study to determine the effect of temperature on oil solidifier performance and
the development of a new empirical correlation for predicting effectiveness."
Marine pollution bulletin 95.1 (2015): 297-304.
Abstract : Temperature can play a significant role in the efficacy of solidifiers in
removing oil slicks on water. We studied and quantified the effect of temperature
on the performance of several solidifiers using 5 different types of oils under a
newly developed testing protocol by conducting experiments in constant
temperature rooms set at 22 C and 5 C. The results indicated that solidifier

efficiency decreased substantially at the lower temperature, especially at lower

application rates. The removal efficiency of the solidifier was in general directly
proportional to temperature, except for the heavier oils, where removal by
attachment was observed. Solidifier products with lower powder bulk density
exhibited the best removal effectiveness. Analysis of experimental data yielded
empirical correlations involving certain operational variables such as application
rate, temperature, solidifier property (bulk density), and oil property (viscosity).
Regression analysis was used to fit a mathematical model to the experimental
solidifier effectiveness data.