PROPOSE TOPIC #1: Cogon Grass as Oil Spill Adsorbent

Chapter 2
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES

2.1 Oil Spill

Oil spill is an accidental release of oil into a body of water, as from a tanker,

offshore drilling rig, or underwater pipeline, often presenting a hazardto marine life and

the environment.1 Oil Spills may happen for several reasons. When oil tankers have

equipment faults. When oil tankers break down, it may get stuck on shallow land. However,

although this form of oil spill is the most commonly known and has the highest media

attention, only 2% of oil in water bodies is a result of this action. From nature and human

activities on land. The large majority of oil spilled is from natural seeps geological seeps

from the ocean floor as well as leaks that occur when products using petroleum or various

forms of oil are used on land, and the oil is washed off into water bodies. Drilling works

carried out in sea. When drilling works carried out in the sea, the oil and petroleum used

for such activities are released into the sea, thus causing an oil spill. Such oil spills are

considered forms of pollution. Oil spills also have highly adverse effects on the

environment. These oil spills greatly affect animals, which may in turn sometimes lead to

animals getting endangered. Animals may be affected because oil spills may cause

hypothermia, inducing low body temperatures. Oil may also enter the lungs or livers of

animals, in turn poisoning the animals. Oil may also kill animals by blinding them,

affecting their natural predator prey instincts, resulting in which they will be unaware of

their predators, and will eventually be preyed on.2

1
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/oil-spill
2
https://oilsplat.wordpress.com/about/
2.1.1 Oil Spill Occurrences in the Philippines

On August 11, the Petron chartered single hull vessel carrying 2.1 million liters of

fuel oil which sank in Guimaras Strait, causing a huge slick, which Greenpeace

characterized as an ecological time bomb that can be cause long-term and possible

irreversible damage to the environment and livelihoods of people. 3

An oil spill from a cement plant in Teresa, Rizal, which has affected a river system,

is also feared to have damaged millions of pesos of agricultural products in the province.

The oil spill affected 20 hectares of rice fields in Barangay San Guillermo and five hectares

in Barangay Bombongan in Morong town, according to the regional Office of Civil

Defense.4

2.1.2 Methods of Oil Spill Cleanup

Once oil has spilled, any of various local, state, and federal government agencies

as well as volunteer organizations may respond to the incident, depending on who's needed.

People may use any of the following kinds of tools to clean up spilled oil: booms, which

are floating barriers to oil (for example, a big boom may be placed around a tanker that is

leaking oil, to collect the oil). Skimmers, which are boats that skim (scoop) spilled oil from

the water surface. Sorbents, which are big sponges used to absorb oil. Chemical dispersants

and biological agents, which break down the oil into its chemical constituents. In situ

burning, which is a method of burning freshly spilled oil, usually while it's floating on the

water. Washing oil off beaches with either high-pressure or low-pressure hoses.

3
http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/ph/multimedia/slideshows/the-guimaras-oil-spill-inciden/
4
http://www.philstar.com/nation/2015/09/09/1497877/oil-spill-damages-rizal-rice-fields
Vacuum trucks, which can vacuum spilled oil off of beaches or the water surface. Shovels

and road equipment, which are sometimes used to pick up oil or move oiled beach sand

and gravel down to where it can be cleaned by being tumbled around in the waves.5

2.1.3 Adsorption

The process by which molecules of a substance, such as a gas or a liquid, collect o

n the surface of anothersubstance, such as a solid. The molecules are attracted to the surfa

ce but do not enter the solid's minute spaces, asin absorption. Some drinking water filters

consist of carbon cartridges that adsorb contaminants.6

2.1.4 Cogon Grass

Imperata cylindrica (cogon grass) is a serious weed not only in crops but also in

natural areas, causing serious economic and environmental damage. The ability of I.

cylindrica to effectively compete for water and nutrients, spread and persist through the
7
production ... Cogon grass thrives where fire is a regular occurrence. It is highly

flammable and creates a severe fire hazard. It burns extremely hot, especially in winter,

and can kill seedling trees and native plants. During a controlled burn, the heat can be so

intense that it can stress mature pine stands and lead to disease and insect infestation. Cogon

grass is sometimes called japgrass, bloodroot grass (red varieties), and Red Barron (red

5
http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/training-and-education/education-students-and-teachers/how-
do-spills-happen.html
6
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/adsorption
http://www.cabi.org/isc/mobile/datasheet/28580
7
varieties), and may be mistaken for other grasses. The red varieties continue to be sold for

ornamental plantings. 8

2.1.5 Bunker Oil

Bunker fuel is a type of liquid fuel which is fractionally distilled from crude oil.

Also, known as fuel oil, this material can be broken down into different categories based

on its chemical composition, intended purpose, and boiling temperature. In comparison

with other petroleum products, bunker fuel is extremely crude and highly polluting.

After crude oil is extracted from the ground and brought to a refinery, it goes through a

process called fractional distillation. During fractional distillation, the oil is heated, causing

different types of oil within the crude to separate as they have different boiling points.

Classically, fractional distillation is accomplished in a distillation column, which siphoned

off various fractions as they precipitated out. During fractional distillation, oil refineries

can also use atalysts to “crack” the hydrocarbon chains in the crude oil to create specific

oil fractions. The thick fuel is difficult for most engines to burn since it must be heated

before it will combust, so it tends to be used in large engines like those on-board ships.9

2.1.6 Kerosene

An oil used for illuminating purposes, formerly obtained from the distillation of

mineral wax, bituminous shale, etc., and hence called also coal oil. It is now produced in

immense quantities, chiefly by the distillation and purification of petroleum. It consists

chiefly of several hydrocarbons of the methane series, having from 10 to 16 carbon atoms

8
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs141p2_021449.pdf
9
http://m.wisegeek.com/what-is-bunker-fuel.htm
in each molecule, and having a higher boiling point (175 - 325° C) than gasoline or the

petroleum ethers, and a lower boiling point than the oils.10 Historically, kerosene was

extracted from fossil fuels such as coal, oil shale and wood but is now predominantly

extracted from petroleum.11

2.1.7 Crude Oil

Crude oil, commonly known as petroleum, is a liquid found within the Earth

comprised of hydrocarbons, organic compounds and small amounts of metal. Crude oil is

created through the heating and compression of organic materials over a long period of

time. Most of the oil we extract today comes from the remains of prehistoric algae and

zooplankton whose remains settled on the bottom of an Ocean or Lake. Over time this

organic material combined with mud and was then heated to high temperatures from the

pressure created by heavy layers of sediment. This process, known as diagenesis, changes

the chemical composition first into a waxy compound called kerogen and then, with

increased heat, into a liquid through a process called catagenesis. 12

10
http://www.finedictionary.com/kerosene.html
11
https://ingoeoils.co.uk/kerosene/
12
http://oilprice.com/Energy/Crude-Oil/What-Is-Crude-Oil-A-Detailed-Explanation-On-This-Essential-
Fossil-Fuel.html
2.2 RELATED STUDY

Jintao Wang, Yian Zheng and Aiqin Wang studied coated kapok fiber for removal

of spilled oil. Based on raw kapok fiber, two kinds of oil absorbers with high sorption

capacity were prepared by a facile solution–immersion process. The coated polymer with

low surface energy and rough fiber surface play important role in the retention of oil. The

as-prepared fiber can quickly absorb gasoline, diesel, soybean oil, and paraffin oil up to

above 74.5%, 66.8%, 64.4% and 47.8% of oil sorption capacity of raw fiber, respectively.

The absorbed oils can be easily recovered by a simple vacuum filtration and the recovered

coated- fiber still can be used for several cycles without obvious loss in oil sorption

capacity. The thermodynamic study indicates that the adsorption process is spontaneous

and exothermic, with complex physisorption and chemisorption. The results suggest that

the coated fiber can be used as a low-cost alternative for the removal of oil spilled on water

surface.

The oil removal capability of oil sorbent in oil/water mixture is very important

because the treatment of spilled or discharged oil is usually performed in water

environment. The oil sorption capability of two modified fiber in oil/water system

containing different amount of oil is shown in figure.

It can be seen that the oil sorption capacities of modified fiber firstly increase with

increasing the amount of oil on water surface and eventually reach sorption saturation. The

maximum oil capacities of PBMA-coated fiber for diesel, soybean oil, and paraffin oil are

about 63.4, 83.1 and 82.3 g/g, and for PS-treated fiber, the oil capacities can reach 61.8,

81.3 and 82.4 g/g for the above oils, respectively. This means that there are similar oil

capacities for pure oil without any water and oil/ water mixture. Fig. 6 displays the optical

images for the cleanup of three kind of oil from water surface by PBMA-coated fiber.

Diesel (7 g), soybean oil (8 g) and paraffin oil (8 g) is placed on water surface in beaker to

form the oil layer, respectively. After adding modified fiber into the oil/water system, most

of floating oil is quickly sucked into fiber assembly in a short time. With excellent

buoyancy, the sorbents absorbing oil still float on the water surface. After taking away the

oil-loaded modified fiber, a slight amount of diesel exists on the water surface, while the

entire amount of soybean oil and paraffin oil is removed completely from the water surface.

In order to demonstrate the quick oil sorption rate of modified fiber, the relationship

between contact time and oil sorption capacity is evaluated (Fig. 5a1 and b1). Obviously,

the oil sorption capacities almost reach the maximum within 1–2 min, and afterwards, only

a slight increase in oil sorption capacity can be observed with extending the contact time.

Such fast sorption rate is mainly attributed to effective interstice structure among

interconnected single fiber and low minimum surface energy on fiber surface (Wu et al.,

2012; Deschamps et al., 2003). The high oil capacity and fast sorption rate of modified

fiber make it an attractive sorbent in cleanup of spilled oil.

In this study, PBMA-coated and PS-coated kapok fiber were successfully prepared

by solution impregnation method for the cleanup and recovery of spilled oils. The oils can
be quickly removed from water surface by adding the coated fiber in oil/water mixture, and

the oil sorption capacity of the coated fiber is up to 80 times their weight. The oil-absorbed

fiber is collected easily from water surface, and the absorbed oil can be kept in the fiber

assembly well in the form of semisolid after removing oil-loaded fiber from water surface.

The thermodynamics evaluation of the sorption process shows that the adsorption reaction

is spontaneous and exothermic. The improved oil sorption property rests with better

chemical compatibility between oil and coated surface with rough structure. This type of

coated fiber, which has the advantages of easily scalable fabrication, low cost, high

sorption capacity, fast sorption rate, and excellent reusability, may be a promising

substitute for synthetic oil-absorbing fiber used for the removal of spilled oil.13

13
“Coated kapok fiber for removal of spilled oil” by Jintao Wang, Yian Zheng and Aiqin Wang