Oil removal from seawater using sorbent plant matter before desalination plants

Abstract Alfalfa leaf leftovers, a biomass waste from agriculture, were evaluated in this work as sorbent plant matter for oil elimination from seawater before desalination units. At 2 min and a 0.25 g biomass dosage, the exothermic (∆ H : −51.55 kJ.mol −1 ) system's maximal oil removal was 90%, and an adsorption capacity of 1.76 g/g was attained. The oil uptake was formfitting using the pseudo‐first‐order kinetic ( R 2 = 0.9955) model and Langmuir ( R 2 = 0.93292) with Hill ( R 2 = 0.98216) isotherms, according to the results of kinetic and isotherm investigations conducted on the oil sorption outcomes. Also, the economic recycling of Alfalfa leaf leftovers decreased to less than 50% after two adsorption–desorption cycles. Leftover alfalfa leaves have good oil‐adsorbing properties that make them suitable as adsorbent material for cleaning up oil spills and used in systems that purify water and oil.