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A review on the effectiveness of nanocomposites for the treatment and recovery of oil spill

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Abstract

The introduction of unintended oil spills into the marine ecosystem has a significant impact on aquatic life and raises important environmental concerns. The present review summarizes the recent studies where nanocomposites are applied to treat oil spills. The review deals with the techniques used to fabricate nanocomposites and identify the characteristics of nanocomposites beneficial for efficient recovery and treatment of oil spills. It classifies the nanocomposites into four categories, namely bio-based materials, polymeric materials, inorganic-inorganic nanocomposites, and carbon-based nanocomposites, and provides an insight into understanding the interactions of these nanocomposites with different types of oils. Among nanocomposites, bio-based nanocomposites are the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly. The grafting or modification of magnetic nanoparticles with polymers or other organic materials is preferred to avoid oxidation in wet conditions. The method of synthesizing magnetic nanocomposites and functionalization polymer is essential as it influences saturation magnetization. Notably, the inorganic polymer-based nanocomposite is very less developed and studied for oil spill treatment. Also, the review covers some practical considerations for treating oil spills with nanocomposites. Finally, some aspects of future developments are discussed. The terms “Environmentally friendly,” “cost-effective,” and “low cost” are often used, but most of the studies lack a critical analysis of the cost and environmental damage caused by chemical alteration techniques. However, the oil and gas industry will considerably benefit from the stimulation of ideas and scientific discoveries in this field.

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© 2022 Elsevier

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Reproduced from He et al. (2019) the permission from Elsevier

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Reproduced from Ref (Tang et al. 2014) with permission from Elsevier, © 2014 Elsevier. (II) Illustration of oil sorption mechanism onto the nanocomposite surface

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Sidra Iftekhar: conceptualization; writing—original draft preparation, review, and editing.

Anjan Deb: conceptualization; writing—original draft preparation; formal analysis.

Golnaz Heidari: graphical; writing—original draft preparation.

Mika Sillanpää: validation; writing—review and editing.

Vesa-Pekka Lehto: conceptualization; writing—review and editing.

Bhairavi Doshi: conceptualization; visualization; writing—original draft preparation.

Mehdi Hosseinzadeh: writing—original draft preparation.

Ehsan Nazarzadeh Zare: supervision; writing—review, and editing.

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Correspondence to Ehsan Nazarzadeh Zare.

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Iftekhar, S., Deb, A., Heidari, G. et al. A review on the effectiveness of nanocomposites for the treatment and recovery of oil spill. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 16947–16983 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-25102-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-25102-1

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