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Stereo-complex polylactide composite aerogel for crude oil adsorption
Summary
Researchers developed a biodegradable polylactide aerogel reinforced with carbon nanotubes that repels water while absorbing crude oil at up to 41.2 g/g capacity, and uses solar-driven heating to reduce viscous oil absorption time by 97.6%, offering an environmentally safer alternative to conventional non-degradable oil spill sorbents.
Adsorption materials are a cost-effective and simple method for oil spill remediation, but their efficiency is limited by high crude oil viscosity. Additionally, non-degradable materials pose another risk of secondary pollution, such as microplastic debris. Here, an environmentally-friendly stereo-complex polylactide composite (SCC) aerogel were developed via water-assisted thermally induced phase separation. The SCC with 3 wt% carbon nanotubes had a hierarchical structure of micro/nanoscale pores and high content of stereo-complex crystallites (35.7 %). Along with the excellent water repellency (water contact angle: 157°), SCC aerogel was 2.7 times as resistant to hydrolysis than poly(l-lactide) aerogel (Ph = 13, 37 °C). Additionally, a maximum absorption capacity of 41.2 g g and over 97 % oil/water separation efficiency after 10 cycles were obtained in low viscosity conditions; while in high viscosity conditions, it displayed excellent photothermal performance, reaching a surface temperature of 85 °C under 1 sunlight, reducing crude oil absorption time from 42 min to 60 s (97.6 %-time savings). Moreover, it facilitated continuous crude oil spill recovery under sunlight with an adsorption rate of 3.3 × 10 kg m h. The SCC aerogel presents a potential route for utilizing solar energy in crude oil adsorption applications without additional environmental burden.