Impact of Recycled Oleophilic Polyurethane Foams Integrated with Activated Carbon and Silica Enriched-Palm Oil Biomass for Separation of Oil

Growing awareness of the ecological damage caused by oil spills has driven substantial studies of effective and long-term oil-water separation strategies. This study aims to examine the viability of utilising recycled polyurethane foam (PUF) that has been enfolded with activated carbon and silica obtained from oil palm biomass as an adsorbent for separating oil. The prepared materials, namely AC-PUF and Si-PUF, were then characterised using Fourier Transform Infrared–Attenuated Total Reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to study the presence of critical functional groups and their surface morphologies. Significant parameters, including contact times, agitation speeds, and the initial diesel concentrations, were evaluated to determine the optimum condition for their adsorption capacities. Under the optimised condition, the highest oil adsorption capacity for recycled PUF, AC-PUF and Si-PUF were 25.19 g/g, 26.91 g/g, and 28.89 g/g, respectively. The results showed that the enfolded PUF with non-polar activated carbon and silica improved the effectiveness of recycled PUF in extracting oil via Van der Waal interaction. The enfolded PUF exhibits potential as a viable and efficient approach for addressing oil spills in a sustainable manner. This shows that agricultural waste can be turned into high-value products and encourages an eco-friendlier way to clean up pollution.