مائده اقايي

In the conducted research, considering the urgent need to mitigate the impacts of oil spills in oceans, the utilization of polyaniline nanofibers in oil-absorbing skimmers was undertaken for the first time, and its optimization based on independent influential parameters was achieved through response surface methodology. In this study, the cost of consumables alongside the oil recovery rate of the skimmer were two dependent parameters eva‎luated. Initially, the construction of drum-type skimmers was pursued. Subsequently, the synthesis of two-part polyurethane foam and the subsequent modification of the structure of these absorbent foams using polyaniline nanofibers were carried out. Finally, these foams were deployed onto the skimmer roller. To characterize the physical and chemical properties of polyurethane foams containing polyaniline nanofibers, FTIR, SEM images, XRD, and oil absorption tests were employed. To enhance the efficiency and achieve better results in oil absorption, the optimization of polyaniline nanofibers was carried out with selected components, including the molar ratio of aniline to ammonium persulfate, the ratio of acid to aniline, and the concentration of nanofibers used in the foam structure. After conducting experiments and considering the response variables of oil recovery rate and cost, the construction of an optimized sample of drum-type skimmer containing polyaniline nanofibers with a molar ratio of 1.605 of aniline to ammonium persulfate, an acid to aniline ratio of 18.214, and a concentration of 0.27% nanofibers was undertaken. The optimized skimmer sample containing nanofibers achieved a satisfactory oil recovery rate of 217.5 milliliters per minute and a cost of 1.61 dollars with an efficiency of 58%. By eva‎luating the performance of this skimmer and its total cost, it can be concluded that the skimmer exhibits highly effective performance in cleaning oil spills from seas and reducing environmental impacts resulting from oil spills.

اسكيمرهاي جاذب , بهينه‌سازي , جذب لكه‌هاي نفتي , نانوالياف پلي‌آنيلين

Oil Skimmers , Optimization , Oil spill absorption , Polyaniline nanofibers

Maedeh Aghaei

Alireza Zahedi