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Oil spill remediation by biochar derived from bio-energy industries with a pilot-scale approach during the X-Press Pearl maritime disaster

2023; Elsevier BV; Volume: 189; Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114813

1879-3363

Shiran Pallewatta, R.S.M. Samarasekara, Anushka Upamali Rajapaksha, Meththika Vithanage,

Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants

Most traditional oil spill clean-up techniques are still laboratory based and are expensive and fairly ineffective. This study investigated the capacity of biochars derived from bio-energy industries in oil spill remediation with a pilot-testing. Three different biochars from bio-energy industries, Embilipitya (EBC), Mahiyanganaya (MBC), and Cinnamon Wood Biochar (CWBC) were assessed for the removal of Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) at three dosages (10, 25, and 50 g L-1). Pilot-scale experiment was conducted with 100 g of biochars separately in the oil slick of X-Press Pearl shipwreck. All adsorbents exhibited rapid oil removal (within 30 min). Isotherm data were well explained by Sips isotherm model (R2 > 0.98). The pilot-scale experiment resulted oil removal for CWBC, EBC and MBC as 0.62, 1.12, and 0.67 g kg-1 respectively, even in rough sea conditions with a limited contact time (>5 min) indicates biochar's capacity in oil spill remediation as a cost-effective material.