Sorbent

Mechanism of action

Sorbents collect specific liquids or gases depending on the composition of the material being used in the sorbent. Some of the most common sorbents used to clean oil spills are made from materials that are both oleophilic and hydrophobic, have high surface area through structural designs that include pores and capillaries, and draw in liquid through capillary action. Sorbents may be used to collect undesirable ions and act like a reusable ion-exchange resin, composed of charged layers of material that can be heated or otherwise treated to remove pollutants. In this and similar cases, pollutant particles are attracted to the sorbent through electrostatic forces. Some sorbents chemically bind to particles through chemical adsorption, or chemisorption; this process is often more difficult to reverse.

Examples

Sorbents come in various forms and materials, including:

• Activated carbon, the most widely used sorbent, which has been known and manufactured since the 19th century,
• Molecular sieves, commonly made from zeolite,
• Sponges, which can absorb many times their own weight in liquid,
• Polypropylene fiber mats, which can be employed to absorb oil,
• Cellulose fiber products used for oil or chemical sorption,
• Superabsorbent polymer, the granular gel material most commonly found in diapers, capable of absorbing multiple times its original weight in urine,
• Incontinence pads, which may also incorporate nonwoven fabric as a sorbent, and
• Desiccants, which attract water, thereby drying (desiccating) surrounding materials.

References

References

1. (June 2023). "The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in disposable baby diapers: A facile determination method via salting-out assisted liquid-liquid extraction coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry". Journal of Chromatography A.
2. (July 2009). "Odor Emission Control during Composting Cattle Manure by using Compost Deodorization and utilization of Nitrogen Enriched Compost". Japan Association on Odor Environment.
3. "Definition of 'sorbent'". HarperCollins Publishers.
4. "Definition of 'sorption'". HarperCollins.
5. (April 2014). "Experimental evaluation of Mg- and Ca-based synthetic sorbents for CO2 capture". Chemical Engineering Research and Design.
6. (2021). "Chemisorption". Springer International Publishing.
7. (2020-02-19). "Commercial Sponges as A Novel Technology for Crude Oil Removal from Seawater and Industrial Wastewater: A Review". Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research.
8. (December 2005). "Oil Spill Cleanup from Sea Water by Sorbent Materials". Chemical Engineering & Technology.
9. (2012-11-05). "Dependence of the liquid absorption behavior of nonwovens on their material and structural characteristics: Modeling and experiments". Journal of Applied Polymer Science.
10. (April 15, 2008). "Ullmann's Encyclopedia of Industrial Chemistry". Wiley.