Enhancing mechanical properties of cellulose acetate/carbon black nanofibers for oil spill cleanup

Oil contamination caused by various oil-related industries and domestic usage is one of the major global challenges that threaten the environment. Therefore, employing efficient and environmentally friendly methods for oil removal from oily water is crucial. Nanofibers offer suitable mediums for such applications due to their low fiber diameter and high surface area. Herein, mechanically enhanced carbon black (CB) loaded-cellulose acetate (CA) nanofiber mats were developed for oil removal applications. Initially, CA/CB nanofibers were fabricated from 15% wt. CA solutions containing 2% wt. CB. To improve the mechanical properties, the samples were treated in an ethanol:acetone bath for 2 and 4h. Increasing post-treatment duration increased the nanofiber diameters from 438 nm to 601 nm and decreased porosities from 75% to 66%. The post-treatments improved the mechanical properties of the samples and the highest modulus was achieved as 20.85 MPa. The water and oil contact angles increased from 86 degrees to 102 degrees and 61 degrees to 80 degrees, respectively. The liquid absorption and retention capacities of the samples were evaluated by immersing them in water, seawater, waste oil, and their emulsions. Despite their lower initial oil absorption compared to the non-treated one, post-treated samples still retained large amounts of oil at the end of 24 h.