The properties of plant-based polymers were observed and compared to the properties of polyacrylamide, a synthetic polymer, by means of experimentation. When polyacrylamide degrades in the environment it turns into acrylamide, a substance linked to birth defects, cancer in animals, and nerve damage. The purpose of these experiments was to study the efficiency of biopolymers for crude oil removal and compare the results with polyacrylamide. This study was done to estimate the practical application of biopolymers in removing crude oil from ocean surface water. Crude oil was injected into several different containers of water and each treated with a different polymer (polyacrylamide, fenugreek, or psyllium) or used as a control group then the percent oil removal was calculated. A time trial for all experiments was conducted to determine the minimum amount of time for the polymer treatments to adsorb to the crude oil. The biopolymers, fenugreek, and psyllium were able to surpass the crude oil sorption of polyacrylamide and achieve it in the smallest time frame; but the maximum efficiency of each polymer was not discovered in the experiments conducted. Psyllium has the highest percent oil removal of the biopolymers observed in previous experiments, rationalizing the inclusion of more polymers with similar functionality will be explored. Further experimentation utilizing mixtures of polymers may increase the percentage of absorption.<br/>

Application of biochemical polymers in sorption of crude oils

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.