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Sustainable Polysulfides for Oil Spill Remediation: Repurposing Industrial Waste for Environmental Benefit

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Worthington, MJH 
Shearer, CJ 
Esdaile, LJ 
Campbell, JA 
Gibson, CT 

Abstract

jats:titleAbstract</jats:title>jats:pCrude oil and hydrocarbon fuel spills are a perennial threat to aquatic environments. Inexpensive and sustainable sorbents are needed to mitigate the ecological harm of this pollution. To address this need, this study features a low‐density polysulfide polymer that is prepared by the direct reaction of sulfur and used cooking oils. Because both sulfur and cooking oils are hydrophobic, the polymer has an affinity for hydrocarbons such as crude oil and diesel fuel and can rapidly remove them from seawater. Through simple mechanical compression, the oil can be recovered and the polymer can be reused in oil spill remediation. The polysulfide is unique because it is prepared entirely from repurposed waste: sulfur is a by‐product of the petroleum industry and used cooking oil can be used as a comonomer. In this way, sulfur waste from the oil industry is used to make an effective sorbent for combatting pollution from that same sector.</jats:p>

Description

Keywords

inverse vulcanization, oil spills, polysulfides, sulfur, waste valorization

Journal Title

Advanced Sustainable Systems

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

2366-7486
2366-7486

Volume Title

2

Publisher

Wiley
Sponsorship
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/M003647/1)
The Royal Society (uf110046)
European Research Council (676832)
Royal Society (URF\R\180019)