Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Chemistry Department, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
2
Al- Azhar University, Faculty of Science (Girl’s branch), Chemistry Department, Cairo, Egypt.
3
Polymer Chemistry Department, National Center for Radiation Research and Technology Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo, Egypt.
Abstract
This study focused on the development of novel materials for the remediation of oil contamination, with an emphasis on environmental protection. Polymers of methyl methacrylate (MMAc) and acrylic acid (AAc) were synthesized using gamma irradiation at a dose of 30 kGy. These polymers were further modified using two surfactants: a cationic surfactant (Sur.1), 1-hexadecyl-2-vinyl pyridinium chloride, and an amphoteric surfactant (Sur.2), sodium salt of 2-(1-hexadecylpyridinium chloride-2-yl) ethane-1-sulfonate. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) was used to investigate the chemical structures of the produced materials, while Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was employed to examine their morphology. Crosslinking was initiated using gamma irradiation at doses ranging from 10 to 50 kGy to enhance oil removal efficiency. The efficiency of the base P(MMAc/AAc) polymer was evaluated in comparison to the surfactant-modified polymers. The maximum oil absorption capacities significantly increased, showing improvements of approximately 90%, 40%, and 29% for P(MMAc/AAc), 117%, 63%, and 67% for P(MMAc/AAc)/Sur.1, and 67%, 200%, and 80% for P(MMAc/AAc)/Sur.2 for automatic transmission fluid (ATF), motor oil, and crude oil, respectively. Absorption results demonstrated that the polymers conformed more closely to pseudo-second-order kinetic models than to pseudo-first-order models. Additionally, even after seven cycles of absorption, the modified polymers maintained their ability to absorb oil pollutants, demonstrating their reusable nature.
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