Recycling and reuse of flexible polyurethane foams from discarded mattresses for oil spill recovery in marine environments

IF 3.8 4区环境科学与生态学 Q3 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management Pub Date : 2026-08-27 DOI:10.1007/s10163-026-02697-y

Keslei Rosendo da Rocha, Leonardo Farias De Medeiros, Isadora Cristina Bezerra Do Nascimento, Osvaldo Chiavone Filho, Humberto Neves Maia de Oliveira

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Abstract

During oil exploration, spills can cause significant environmental damage if not contained quickly. This study introduces an innovative solution that repurposes discarded polyurethane mattress foam for oil recovery from seawater, addressing two environmental issues simultaneously. The foams were enhanced through surface modifications with molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) to improve their selectivity for oil. Characterization tests confirmed notable advancements in water rejection and oil affinity, with MoS₂ particles adhering well to the foam surfaces. Sorption tests in a seawater-oil mixture (92%-8% v/v) showed a remarkable increase in the sorption of petroleum (1.6x), S46 lubricating (7.1x), and 20W40 engine oil (9.8x), maintaining efficiency after 50 cycles of saturation and desorption. Kinetic studies indicated that the foams reached saturation within 40 s, demonstrating their potential as a rapid remediation solution. The pseudo-second-order and logistic models effectively described the experimental data (R² > 0.98 and R² > 0.99, respectively). Additionally, dripping loss kinetics indicated low oil loss from saturated foams, with only 0.85%, 0.90%, 4.24%, and 7.62% losses for diesel, petroleum, S46 lubricating, and 20W40 engine oil, respectively, after 30 s of hanging.

Graphical abstract

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回收和再利用废弃床垫中的柔性聚氨酯泡沫，用于海洋环境中的溢油回收

在石油勘探过程中，如果不及时控制泄漏，可能会造成严重的环境破坏。该研究提出了一种创新的解决方案，将废弃的聚氨酯床垫泡沫重新用于海水采油，同时解决了两个环境问题。采用二硫化钼（MoS2）对泡沫进行表面改性，提高了泡沫对石油的选择性。表征测试证实了在拒水性和亲油性方面的显著进步，MoS2颗粒可以很好地粘附在泡沫表面。在海水-油混合物（92%-8% v/v）中的吸附试验表明，对石油（1.6倍）、S46润滑油（7.1倍）和20W40发动机油（9.8倍）的吸附显著增加，在50次饱和和解吸循环后保持效率。动力学研究表明，泡沫在40秒内达到饱和，证明了它们作为快速修复溶液的潜力。伪二阶和logistic模型有效地描述了实验数据（R2 >； 0.98和R2 >； 0.99分别）。此外，滴损动力学表明饱和泡沫的油损较低，在悬挂30 s后，柴油、石油、S46润滑油和20W40机油的油损分别为0.85%、0.90%、4.24%和7.62%。图形抽象

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来源期刊

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

5.30

自引率

16.10%

发文量

205

审稿时长

4.8 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management has a twofold focus: research in technical, political, and environmental problems of material cycles and waste management; and information that contributes to the development of an interdisciplinary science of material cycles and waste management. Its aim is to develop solutions and prescriptions for material cycles. The journal publishes original articles, reviews, and invited papers from a wide range of disciplines related to material cycles and waste management. The journal is published in cooperation with the Japan Society of Material Cycles and Waste Management (JSMCWM) and the Korea Society of Waste Management (KSWM).