Diesel oil sorption potential of sugarcane bagasse incorporated with human hair

VEAH JOY P. REPOSPOLO, KEMUEL REILLY E. SARROSA, MEGAN MARIE B. SIO, and ANGELO P. OLVIDO

Philippine Science High School Western Visayas Campus – Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PSHS WVC), Brgy. Bito-on, Jaro, Iloilo City 5000, Philippines

Abstract

Sorbents remove pollutants by absorption, adsorption, or both. Sugarcane Bagasse (SCB) has excellent sorption ability, but it can acquire water in its pores, limiting its field application in oil spills. Due to the high oleophilic and hydrophobic properties of human hair (HH), the study aimed to determine the sorption percentages of SCB incorporated with HH of varying ratios in diesel oil. Three treatments with the ratios (1:1), (1:3), and (3:1), and three controls were subjected to 60-minute sorption tests by placing sorbent samples on oil-seawater mixtures. Kruskal-Wallis H Test and the Mann-Whitney U test revealed significant differences among groups. An equal ratio of SCB and HH had significantly the highest percent sorption, likely due to the lignocellulosic content in SCB and the lipid layer in HH. Cellulose in SCB is suspected to promote water absorptivity and consequently, percent water sorption, while the hydrophobicity of HH possibly caused low percent water sorption. The synthetic sorbent pad exhibited the highest percent oil sorption, which can be attributed to its hydrophobicity, oleophilicity, and large surface area. The incorporation of HH in SCB shows favorable results in diesel oil removal, specifically in an equal ratio. With this, the study can be a basis for the establishment of sorbents incorporating SCB and HH.

Keywords: sorption, diesel oil, oil spill, sugarcane bagasse, human hair

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