Avaliação da viabilidade de aplicação de fibras de kapok (ceiba pentandra (L.) gaertn) como método de separação água/óleo em efluentes

Abstract

The production methods used during industrial development of the last decades, has been one of the main responsible for the contamination of the environment, either due to the negligence in the treatment of its effluents or even due to more and more frequent accidents, which propitiate the release of many pollutants in water bodies. Oils and their derivatives are pollutants that have received special attention, since they cause serious damage to aquatic fauna and flora. In this way, numerous methods of environmental treatment and oil recovery have been developed, where the sorption mechanism through sorbent materials stands out due to the low cost, high recovery efficiency and the regenerative capacity of the materials. Among natural sorbents, kapok fibers (Ceiba pentandra (L.) Gaertn) are distinguished because they are materials of plant origin and have characteristics of high oleophilicity (oil affinity), hydrophobicity (aversion to water) and biodegradability. In this work, the hydraulic oil sorption capacity of kapok fibers was tested before and after their treatment with cold plasma, the effects of which were evaluated. Fibers treated for 60 minutes showed greater average sorptive potential (74.845 g of oil/g of sorbent) compared to those treated for 30 minutes (53.962 g of oil/g of sorbent) and untreated (50.470 g of oil/g of sorbent). The Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrum showed changes in the characteristic absorption bands, indicating a change in the chemical composition of the fiber after treatment. The surface roughness, observed by the scanning electron microscope with emission gun in the field (FEG-SEM), increased with the treatment. Cold plasma can prove to be a viable approach to improve both the wettability of the fiber, increasing its oil sorption capacity, and the adhesion of the fiber matrix for the production of biodegradable polymeric composites. Therefore, kapok fiber treated with cold plasma proved to be a significant method of water/oil separation to application in process of effluents treatment.