Oil Spill Cleanup using Raw Kapok as the Sorbent Material

A natural and biodegradable material that has good oil absorbtivity, high durability
and reusability is one of the most demanded materials in the industry nowadays. It is
believed to have potential to replace polypropylene function as the commercialized
sorbent. One of material that suits this function is kapok fibre or commonly known as
cotton. Using kapok, decomposition process, which always become an issue when
dealing with polypropylene, is no more a problem. The nature of Kapok will allow it
to decompose naturally without any harm threat to the environment. Besides, kapok
has fibrous microstructure that becomes the key factor to absorb oil efficiently.
Without any chemical modification, it can absorb significant amount of oil like
polypropylene. This project was conducted to evaluate kapok capacity as the natural
sorbent in terms of application. A series of test was done to analyze the surface
microstructure, sorption capacity, dynamic oil retention and its reusability. Two
experimental setups are prepared for sorption and desorption analysis. Findings of
this paper are found base on the weight of oil recovered and HPLC test for seawater
composition. It is believed that this project can prove the potential of Kapok as
sorbent for oil spill cleanup at the end of this paper.