Chitosan and chitosan composites for oil spills treatment: Review of recent literature

Abstract

Every year millions of oil barrels enter the water bodies. These oil spills have a devastating impact on the marine environments and their wildlife. Hence, it is necessary to clean-up these oil spills. Chitosan is cheap, renewable and eco-friendly polysaccharide. Therefore, chitosan-based materials have caught the attention of researchers as absorbents for oil spills cleanup and to separate oil/water mixtures. In their studies, chitosan was modified to improve its mechanical and physical properties, hence improving its adsorption capabilities. This paper is a comprehensive review on the application of chitosan and chitosan derivatives such as sponges, aerogels, carbon nanotubes fibers, foams, and polymers in the field of oil spill cleanup. Furthermore, this review lists the different parameters, such temperature, salinity, and pH, which affect the adsorption process and adsorption isotherms. Finally, the challenges and prospects of this type of adsorbent are discussed and summarized.