EFFECT OF ACID MODIFICATION OF CORN COB CORE (ZEA MAYS) ON REMOVAL OF OIL FILMS FROM THE WATER SURFACE

The possibility of using native corn cob cores (CCC) and those modified with weakly concentrated sulfuric acid solutions as sorption materials for removing oil spills from water surfaces is researched. Data on the volumes of corn kernel cultivation and CCC formation are presented. Some physical and mechanical properties of native and modified samples of the studied sorption materials are presented. The values of maximum oil capacity of native and modified CCC samples for Devonian and Carboniferous deposits, as well as maximum water absorption, are determined. It is shown that sulfuric acid treatment of the sorption material helps to reduce water absorption and increase the values of maximum oil capacity. As a result of experiments on simulating the removal of oil films from the water surface by the studied CCC samples, an increase in oil absorption and a decrease in water absorption are revealed. This circumstance is explained by the increase in the hydrophobic characteristics of the sorption material due to hydrolysis and extraction into the modifying solution of low-molecular hydrophilic fragments of biopolymers included in the SPK matrix. It was revealed that the maximum removal of oil and minimum water absorption are observed in the CCC sample treated with a 3 % H2SO4 solution.