Modification of sawdust and extracted cellulose using Cethyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) for oil removal

Adsorption by using natural fibre seems to be widely used for oily wastewater treatment due to its low cost, feasibility, easy handling and effectiveness. The current research was carried out to compare the efficiency of the modified sawdust and modified extracted cellulose to be used as the adsorbent material for oil removal. The cellulose being extracted by using the same sawdust according to TAPPI test method. Both sawdust and extracted cellulose were chemically modified by using cethyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The chemical and structural properties of both unmodified and modified adsorbents were characterized by Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD). Parameters studied for the oil removal using modified sawdust and modified extracted cellulose were adsorption time and adsorbent dosage. The percentage of oil removal (%) and adsorption capacity (g/g) were calculated. The results of the FTIR showed that additional functional groups were introduced after modification by using CTAB on the surface of modified sawdust and modified extracted cellulose. The XRD peaks showed that crystallinity of the adsorbents also increases after the modification. Modified extracted cellulose showed better removal of oil than modified sawdust. The optimum adsorption of oil removal using modified extracted cellulose was identified at 3 hours and 6 g adsorbent dosage.