Development and application of novel supramolecular cadmium based gelator for oil spill clean-up in water
摘要
Oil spills have devastating effect on the environment which necessitates remediation. This study explored the synthesis of a cadmium-based organometallogelator for the remediation of oil spills in water. Aromatic linker system (AL) was synthesized from cadmium (Cd), hydrazine and isophthaloyl chloride, and coded as CdAL. Cholesteryl chloroformate (steroid) was introduced to CdAL to form the A(LS)2 gelator which was coded as CdGe. Analyses showed that CdAL and CdGe were crystalline, and the average diameter of CdAL was 6.2 μm while that of CdGe was 7.8 μm. A band corresponding to C-N was present in CdGe signifying the formation of a new compound, which was thermally stable above 300 °C. Simulated field application showed the longest gelation time as 15 min. The Tgel (CdGe) at 2 mg was 47 °C for kerosene (KSE), 43 °C for petroleum motor spirit (PMS), and 64 °C for crude oil (COL). Sorption capacities were 4.80 ± 0.2, 3.0 ± 0.4, and 5 ± 0.7 for KSE, PMS, and COL, respectively. CdGe achieved a removal efficiency of 88% for COL, 86% for KSE, and 85% for PMS. For recyclability, at cycle 3, the efficiency of KSE decreased by 31%, PMS by 25%, and COL by 35%. A thermally stable, eco-friendly, crystalline, and recyclable cadmium-based A(LS)2 gelator was synthesized using an easily reproducible method. KSE, PMS, and COL have been remediated from water, using the gelator, with excellent removal efficiencies.