Waste paper-sawdust composites for the clean-up of oils with varied viscosities: an experimental study

Abstract

Over the years, oil spills have remained a predominant global occurrence. The improper disposal of dusts, flakes and shavings generated from the primary and secondary wood conversion processes, as well as waste paper and paper products has resulted in the release of greenhouse gases into the environment. In view of these environmental dangers, the use of waste papers and sawdust to remediate oil spills presents an ingenious way of utilizing their absorbent properties for environmental benefits. In this study, varying proportions (100:0, 80:20, 60:40, 40:60) of print waste papers and Gmelina arborea sawdust were made into pellets and evaluated for the clean-up of light, medium and heavy oils. The composite pellets were tested for their physical (Thickness Swelling (TS), Water Absorption (WA)) and their impact strength properties. The mean WA was 279.01%, showing excellent absorbent properties, while TS has a mean value of 11.79% and ranged from 8.13% to 16.67% across all samples. The mean low impact velocity strength was 16.64 N/m², which is considered adequate for normal handling conditions. The pellet composition of 100:0 had the highest remediation (21.43, 17.44 and 16.09%) while 40:60 had the lowest values (11.90, 12.79 and 9.2%) for light, medium and heavy oil viscosities, respectively. Composite pellets from waste papers and sawdust have potential in the clean-up of oil spills of varying viscosities, which can be applicable to other oil-based effluents from industries like paint and preservatives.