The Use of Cereal-Processing Wastes for Hydrocarbon Spill Removal from Water Surfaces. 1. Wheat and Rice Straw (Review)

Data available from the literature concerning the use of cereal (wheat and rice) straw as a sorption material for eliminating hydrocarbon spills from water surfaces are summarized. Brief information on the composition of straw and on the amounts of its formation is presented. It is shown that cereal straw is a common, multitonnage, rather efficient, and cheap sorption material for removing oil and the products of its processing from water surfaces. It is shown that the sorption characteristics of straw with respect to oil and the products of its processing can be improved through straw modification with the use of various chemical reagents and physicochemical methods.