The potential of sawdust-derived graphene-like carbon for crude oil spill remediation

Abstract

Oil spill contamination remains a significant environmental and socio-economic issue, driving the need for cost-effective and sustainable remediation materials. This study explores the synthesis of a graphene-like carbon material from sawdust, an abundant lignocellulosic waste, for crude oil spill remediation. The sawdust-derived graphene-like carbon (SD-GLC) was produced through controlled carbonization and chemical treatment to induce graphitic domain formation. Characterization using UV – Visible spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed the transformation into a partially graphitized material with dominant sp^² carbon structures and residual oxygen functional groups. Batch adsorption experiments assessed the influence of adsorbent dosage, contact time, and pH on oil removal efficiency. The SD-GLC demonstrated high crude oil removal performance, exceeding 95% under optimal conditions, particularly at contact times of 60 – 100 minutes and acidic pH levels (2.5 – 4.0). Adsorption followed pseudo-second-order kinetics and aligned more closely with the Freundlich isotherm model, indicating heterogeneous multilayer adsorption governed by surface interactions and pore filling. However, reusability tests showed a sharp decline in performance, with efficiencies dropping below 10% after regeneration due to irreversible oil entrapment, pore blockage, and structural degradation. Despite this limitation, SD-GLC shows strong potential as a low-cost, sustainable sorbent, with further modifications needed to improve recyclability and practical application.