Application of sorbents to the collection of crude oil and refined product spills

The adsorption of oil and refined products by polyurethane foams was studied. The dependence of the specific surface area of polyurethane foam specimens on the specific weight was determined. It was found that this dependence is described by a monotonically decreasing exponential curve in the test range of specific weights. The dependence of the sorption capacity of polyurethane foam specimens on specific surface area was measured for gasoline, diesel fuel, crude oil, industrial oil, and fuel oil. It was found that the dependence is described by increasing curves with small scattering of experimental data points. The regeneration of polyurethane foams saturated with hydrocarbons was also investigated. The effect of the number of sorbent regeneration cycles on the sorption capacity of polymer foam specimens was estimated. It was found that polyurethane foams with specific weights of 0.020–0.022 g/cm3 and specific surface areas of 0.063–0.074 m2/g are the most suitable materials for oil and refined product spill recovery.